


Losing Hope

by LinkCat



Series: Medical Diaries [5]
Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls World Tour
Genre: Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Cure, F/F, F/M, Fear Of Extinction, Fear of Death, M/M, Manipulation, Multi, Never Giving Up, Virus, War, stem cells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 28
Words: 39,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: Just as the trolls think they have regained faith that their species will survive a possible apocalypse, a war sparks when Tourmaline’s army comes to them with no intentions of showing mercy.
Relationships: Biggie & Smidge (Trolls), Guy Diamond/Queen Poppy
Series: Medical Diaries [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766938
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Worthy Of Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 5 of Medical Diaries. Sorry for any mistakes I make. I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky has been working tirelessly for a cure for the Male Germination Virus. Has he found a cure yet?

For the next three years, Sky worked hard to fix the damage that Tourmaline and Frances had caused. There was far more error then there was victory. He rarely took a break, even when he had his twin daughters, two months after reading the letter Hematite wrote to Obsidian. He named his identical twin daughters Serenity and Clarity. They were both dark green glitter trollings, with royal blue hair. They both had dark green and light green dual colored eyes. Just like most of Hematite’s children, they were virus free. Their blood helped with the research. Sky used their cord blood, to see if there was something in it that could have the answers. He extracted stem cells from their preserved cord blood and gave it to Stream and Luna about eight months earlier, to see if they could have a boy. The stem cells appeared to clear them of the virus. Sky wanted to be sure that the stem cells had worked. He continued to experiment on cord blood and plasma from other babies that had been born for the last three years as well. He had had little time to wait.

Stream and Luna were not the only test subjects. Basil, Sassafras, Yin, Bubbles, Scarlet, and Yang, and many others had also received the stem cell treatment. So far, it didn’t seem to be working in Sky’s favor. Basil, Sassafras, Yin, and Scarlet were expecting girls and no one else was pregnant at that time, except Luna. Luna was so disappointed by the lack of progress, that she refused to have an ultrasound to check the sex of her baby. She was sure that she was just having another girl. That was all that anyone ever had after all the tests the last three years.

So when Luna went into labor during Midwinter’s day and her twenty third birthday, her uncle Sky insisted he be right there to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. Either way, he wanted that cord blood. He was sure that he had the answer. The time they had left to find a cure was so precious. If they didn’t reverse the damage caused by the virus soon, their species would face extinction. If there was too large of an age gap between boys, they could see their doom.

Luna wasn’t happy that her uncle was in the medical room while she was in labor. She had asked him to leave, along with her father and brother Basil. She didn’t think that any of them should be seeing her naked body. She didn’t care that Basil was blind. She was hot, sweaty, and didn’t tolerate pain well. She shot a glare at Stream during each contraction. “This is your fault!” She was in a horrible mood. She was hoping that her poor baby wouldn’t have to share its birthday with her, Moon, Branch, Sky, and Guy Diamond. “I’m not having this baby until after midnight!” She declared, before looking at Mercy. “Make them stop! Now!”

“I can’t stop labor, Luna. You know that’s not possible.” Mercy prepared for the birth of the newborn. She could see that the baby was getting close. Luna’s birth site was swollen and bulged out slightly. “You’re starting to crown. It’ll be over soon.”

Sky stayed by Luna’s shoulder, to give her privacy. He ignored the intense glare from her. He knew she was in a lot of pain. He had been through it four times. It was no walk in the park for sure. “Deep breaths, Luna.”

“You’re almost there, baby girl.” Branch reached down and gave Luna a kiss on the forehead. He chuckled when she tried to smack him. He was able to dodge it. “Your turn to comfort her, Stream.” He nudged his son in law over to Luna, since his daughter wasn’t having any of his comfort.

“I know better than to touch her while in labor. I got a broken hand when Anna was born.” Stream stayed clear of Luna. As pretty as the albino chimera was, she had a side to her that was scary. It came out when she was upset or in pain. He knew better than to poke the bear within her.

“I want to touch it.” Basil moved closer and yelped when Luna punched him in the arm. “Ow! What was that for?!” He went to hit her back, but Branch grabbed his arm. “Let me at her! I’ll splat her!”

“She’s about to have a baby! Knock it off, or I’ll kick you out!” Branch pulled Basil away from his sister. He was annoyed with him. He was often a little too rough at the wrong times.

“I don’t want the baby to be born now!” Luna breathed hard as her body urged her to bare down. She screamed in agony as her baby slowly made its way out. She looked down as Mercy caught her baby and placed the little one on her chest. “Hello sweetheart…” She was a little annoyed, but was going to accept that her child came before she wanted it to.

The little one let out loud cries. It was healthy and looked just like papa Stream.

“It’s a boy!” Mercy looked excited as she cleaned her great nephew up. “You did a great job Luna…”

“Yes!!!” Sky screeched with excitement. He prepared to collect the cord blood. Once he retrieved it, he kissed Mercy and then kissed Luna’s cheek. “We did it! I’m so proud of you Luna!”

Branch scrambled to leave the medical room. Basil joined him and they both cheered in the hallway, so that everyone at the party could hear that the baby had arrived. “It’s a boy!” They cheered with joy. “It’s a boy! It’s a boy!”

Excitement filled the bunker. Never in their lives had they celebrated a birth like this. It was a true celebration.

“I knew you could do it, Luna.” Stream reached in and gave his beautiful wife a kiss. He watched her violet and light blue eyes as she breathed hard. He didn’t care that she was sweaty, tired, and cranky. She had done what so many hadn’t been able to do for about a decade. It was a mountimous occasion.

“I don’t think you’re done.” Mercy gave the newborn to Stream, before checking Luna gently. She had been unable to help her with the delivery of the afterbirth. She had a feeling a twin was keeping her from doing so. “I feel another head. This one is ready to come.” She prepared to help Luna deliver a second baby. “Push Luna!”

Sky’s eyes were wide with anticipation. “I sure hope it’s an identical twin!” He began to tremble with excitement as he sat beside Luna once again. If this baby was an identical twin, they could get twice the amount of cord blood.

“It’s whatever comes out of me! Get out of my face!” Luna snapped at Sky. He was far too close for her liking. She bared down and pushed for the second baby. She was able to get him out after only a few pushes.

“Well done!” Stream cradled their son as he watched the second boy arrive. “Looks like we have identical twins!”

“Two precious identical twin boys.” Mercy settled the second boy on Luna’s chest and began cleaning him. “A couple of handsome boys from a beautiful mama.”

“Yes!!!” Sky stood up and let out whoops of joy. He calmed himself long enough to help Mercy collect the blood. “Thank you so much, sweetheart. I’m sorry for intruding. You’re going to help so many lives.” He gave Luna a kiss on the cheek, again, before retreating to preserve the blood. It was so precious. Especially since these boys were boys. Sky was certain that that blood was full of antibodies for the virus.

Luna breathed hard and looked between Sky, Mercy, and Stream. “I had two boys. Oh my god…” It just dawned on her what just happened. Tears filled her eyes when her uncle kissed her cheek. “Sorry for being mad!” She called to him as he retreated. She looked down at her second son and smiled at him. “Hello sweetheart. I’m your mama.” She looked between her sons and then at Stream. “I want to name them Rapid and Rush, after you.”

“That sounds great.” Stream gave her kisses all over. He was glad to see her back to normal. She was so fierce while in pain. He didn’t blame her one bit. From what he had seen, labor was very painful.

Mercy finished cleaning the second baby, and then helped Luna set them up to nurse. She then began cleaning up the mess. She had a huge smile on her face. The cure had been a long time coming. All their hard work was finally showing. The time to spread it to the public would be coming soon. It seemed that their species had a chance after all.


	2. Grandma Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna visits her grandma Rose, with her newborn twins.

Later that afternoon, after Luna had a chance to take a nap, the proud mama left the medical room with her newborn sons. She smiled as her family praised her for a job well done. She whispered her thanks as she passed them all. Everyone wanted a chance to hold her boys, but her primary concern was to make sure that her grandma Rose got a chance to hold them first. “Grandma Rose gets a turn first. Then grandma Ginger. After that, I’ll choose who gets to hold them. I don’t want any of you fighting over them. They’re newborns after all.” As soon as she got to the room Rose was in, she closed the door and locked it so they wouldn’t be disturbed. She knew the chances of Basil stealing them would be extremely high. “Grandma? How are you feeling?” She walked over to her with a soft smile on her face. She was so worried about her grandma Rose. Rose had been fighting her third case with cancer. This time, it was in her bones. They had recently stopped treatment. Rose was terminal, which broke Luna’s heart. She had a special connection with her grandma. She looked a lot like her, except for the splotches of light teal on her skin, and the streaks of light blue within her white hair.

Luna’s appearance aroused Rose from a hard slumber. She smiled at her granddaughter as she approached her. “There’s my beautiful granddaughter. How are you feeling, Luna? I heard the excitement earlier. I’m so glad you had a couple of boys. I was so worried about the future of our family and species.”

“You didn’t answer my question grandma.” Luna sighed softly. She sat down beside Rose and took her hand. “I’m just fine. A little sore, which is completely normal.”

“A little? I recall giving birth being extremely painful and exhausting. You should be resting, instead of visiting your old grandma.” Rose protested as she gave Luna’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll be just fine. I want to see you and let you meet my boys. Also, you’re sixty-six years old. You’re not old, grandma.” Luna rubbed her hand. “Do you need anything for pain?”

“I don’t want any of that nasty medicine. It makes me so sleepy. I don’t want to miss today. I had my sons forty-five years ago. Your father blessed me with you and your sister, along with Goldie giving me your brother, twenty-three years ago. Today, I’m blessed with two great grandsons from you. It’s a very special and precious day.” Rose winced as she weakly shifted. A soft groan escaped her. She was in a lot of pain and was having a hard time hiding it.

“Grandma, you shouldn’t suffer.” Luna let her ears drop. She hated seeing Rose in so much pain. “Promise me, after I visit, you’ll take something if I send mom in here?”

“I don’t make promises with anyone.” Rose cracked a smile. She was a very stubborn patient. Her tenacity had helped her survive after fighting cancer more than once in her life.

“Do I need to get grandpa in here?” Luna threatened with a smirk. She knew Rose had a soft spot for Cyprus. They had been married for nearly forty-six years.

“Let him enjoy the party, sweetheart. He’s not well either. You know that…” Rose suddenly looked worried. She didn’t want Cyprus to stress. He had had a heart attack a year earlier, and had survived it. It had scared her a great deal.

“Alright, I’m sorry for upsetting you.” Luna kissed her hand and then let her go. She gently reached into her hair and took Rapid out first. “This is Rapid.” She settled him in Rose’s right arm. She then took Rush out and settled him into her left arm. “This is Rush.”

Rose smiled when Luna took the twins out of her hair. She looked between them and chuckled softly. “They’re the same coloration. Are they identical?” Her vision was getting worse as she aged. She wanted to be sure that her thoughts were correct.

“Yeah, they’re identical.” Luna got into the bed with Rose and cuddled with her. She rested her hand on Rush’s back. She was so glad that Rose got to meet her twins. She had been so worried that Rose wouldn’t survive to meet them. She wished they could have more time with her. She was so important to the family. She feared what her death would do to not only Cyprus, but her father and uncle as well. Another concern she had was for her young aunt, Ivory. She was only sixteen years old. Ivory was at a very delicate age for development and maturity.

Rose smiled as Luna cuddled with her. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll babysit.”

“You should be resting too.” Luna sulked as she moved her hand to rest over Rose’s hand.

“I’ll be just fine. Branch has a key to this room and I can always ring my bell if I need help.” Rose began singing a lullaby. One that she often sang to Branch and Sky, when they were tiny.

Luna grumbled that she was trying to get her sleepy. After several minutes, the tired mama began to doze. She couldn’t resist the warmth and love that she felt. It wasn’t the first time she had fallen asleep snuggled up to her grandma Rose.

Rose watched Luna as she slept. A few tears ran down her cheeks. She was so scared and wasn’t ready to leave them. She hated that she was so sick. She wanted to live, to a much riper age. She sniffled and shifted her great grandsons so they were draped on her chest. She had no plans of sleeping. She was in too much pain to sleep anyway. She knew this way, she wouldn’t accidentally fall asleep with the newborns. A risk she wasn’t willing to take. As she laid there with her granddaughter and great grandsons, she said a silent prayer, that she wished that her family would have the strength to move on without her. She knew her time was coming soon.


	3. A Family In Mourning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose’s time comes along, which causes a large family to mourn her loss.

For the next month, Sky worked hard to prepare medication for the general public. He wanted to get it out to the public as fast as he could. He made sure all of his family and friends also received the treatment that was needed to recover from the Male Germination Virus. He wanted to get it out before Spring. He also planned to get a hold of Queen Coral, who was King Trollex’s eldest child. They would need the medication too, so that they could recover from the virus that had made it so that all that they had were girls as well. A trip to the ocean was scheduled to happen on the first day of spring.

As Sky worked hard, Rose slowly declined until she was no longer aware of her surroundings. She was thin, frail, and only holding by sure will. She was fighting hard to stay alive, knowing her sons needed her. She didn’t want to give up, even though her body was failing her.

Cyprus rarely left Rose’s side. He held her whenever he was in the room, which was almost always. He was starting to show signs of illness, which concerned Branch and Sky. Tests showed that his failing heart was weakened, most like due to the extra stress of his wife’s terminal diagnosis. For the last week, he had to breathe with the help of oxygen. He was starting to die too, right alongside his precious wife.

Watching Rose and Cyprus as they were dying at the same time was hard for the family. They all took turns, giving their last words and love to each of them. Goldie, Mercy, Emerald, and Amber took turns assuring that they both received medication, to help keep Cyprus and Rose as comfortable as possible.

As morning rose, it was clear that they were getting close. Branch and Sky asked everyone to leave them, so that they could talk to their parents one last time. Branch reassured them that if Morphine was needed, he would administer it. A task that Mercy and Goldie both fought with him over. He reminded them he was willing and able to help ease his parents’ pain. He wanted to be the one to do it. His parents had given him and his twin brother life. He wanted to be with them as they left their world.

Once the boys were alone with their parents, Sky took Cyprus’ hand. He held it and rubbed it gently. He whispered that he loved him and that it was going to be OK. He promised that he would take care of everyone and continue to make them proud.

Branch ran his hand through Rose’s white hair. He watched as she took weak, raspy breaths. “It’s going to be OK mom. You can let go. I’ll make sure that our family is taken care of. I don’t want you to hold on and continue to suffer. We’re going to be OK.” He had a feeling she was waiting for reassurance. She was fighting so hard. He didn’t want her to suffer any longer.

Cyprus grimaced and let out a whimper. He was a little more aware of what was going on then Rose was, but was too weak to talk. He was trying to tell them he loved them. Only a grunt came out.

Rose took a weak breath, before expelling it one last time. Only her heartbeat remained, but even that was only just there.

Sky held his breath for a moment, when he realized Rose was no longer breathing. He looked at Branch and watched his face. He had tears welling up. He had a feeling that Rose was gone.

Branch noticed it too. He held Rose’s hand and waited a few minutes, so he didn’t stress her out. He knew she had likely taken her last breath, but it wasn’t always the case. Either way, she was still alive. He could feel her faint heartbeat along his finger tips. As he felt her pulse fade, he looked up at Sky and mouthed that she was gone. He didn’t want to break Cyprus’ already frail heart. He was already close as it was. There was no need to make it harder for him.

Cyprus groaned, before he too went still. He faded into death, just minutes after his wife.

Sky trembled as both their parents died in their arms. He wasn’t expecting them to both die just minutes apart. He watched as Branch checked Cyprus’ pulse. He began to sob when Branch confirmed that their father was gone as well.

Branch moved over to Sky’s side and shifted so that they held each other. He let silent tears fall. As sad as it was that they lost their parents, he knew that they had suffered the last year. He was glad that they were no longer in pain. If he wasn’t still gray from when Tourmaline had attacked him eleven and a half years earlier, he would have faded gray for this. Sky was still gray from Tourmaline’s attack as well.

For the next several hours, Cyprus and Rose were prepared for burial. A private service was held in the bunker, since they were still trying not to take too many trips up and down out of the bunker. The family grieved the loss of the great grandparents. They were going to be greatly missed.

Ivory knew it was coming, but the reality that she lost her parents before she was ready to live on her own hit her hard. She locked herself in her bedroom, after the service, and curled up on her bed. The beautiful cream trolling had faded gray from grief. Just like her parents, she had moved into the bunker so that she could get help with school and tasks that she was still learning to do on her own. Losing both parents at the same time had her in shock. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She wasn’t going to be an adult for just over a year. Her seventeenth birthday was only a couple weeks away.

Branch checked on Ivory throughout the evening. He was very concerned about his baby sister. His heart ached for their loss, but he couldn’t imagine being a teenager. It wasn’t going to be easy for Ivory for a little while, as she adjusted to life as an orphan. He planned to assure she reached adulthood without any trouble, along with Sky’s help. She wasn’t alone in her struggle.

During one of Branch’s unsolicited visits, Ivory shot a glare at her eldest brother. “Would you stop checking on me?! I’m not a child, Branch! Leave me alone!” She sneered when he came rushing over. She growled when he hugged her to him. “I’m not a baby…” She resisted his affection. Even though her words came out like she was livid, tears were rolling down her cheeks. She was devastated.

“I miss them too. It’s going to be alright, little sis.” Branch had a feeling her sudden outburst was her way of dealing with the heartbreak. It was clear that she was upset. She was gray, just like everyone else. “We’re all here for you.”

“I don’t need you...” Ivory whispered, before breaking away from her brother. She curled up in the bed and threw the blanket over her head. She growled when her brother rested his hand on her back.

Branch rubbed her back soothingly. He planned on having Ivory watched. He didn’t want to think about it, but he was worried she might try to commit suicide. Her sudden aggression concerned him greatly. Ivory was one of the sweetest, loving trollings he had ever seen. She was not acting herself at all.

Ivory seethed as her brother tried to quietly soothe her. He was right, she wasn’t herself. She was emotional, scared, and heartbroken. She was going to need time and patience, if they were going to see her recover from this traumatic experience.


	4. Rebellion Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivory shows that she’s just as stubborn as her father Cyprus was, which gets her into trouble.

For the next month, Sky, Branch, and their spouses worked harder than they had ever done before. They worked together to make sure that not only the city got the medicine they needed, but the world, including the mertrolls. They still had several villages to distribute medicine to, but supplies were limited. As they ran out of supplies and medicine, they regrouped at the bunker and got back to work on making more. A little bit of blood was taken from Rapid and Rush, to help with the making of the medication. A task that the twins made clear was not OK with them. Of course Luna was right there to soothe them and praise them for helping them out. She didn’t blame them for hating the blood draws. She didn’t like needles either.

Ivory had tried to distract herself for that month. She had asked to go with her brothers on their mission, but the boys had refused to bring her with them. It infuriated the teenager. She didn’t like that they treated her like a little girl. She may have been much younger then them, but she felt that she was nearly an adult, and should have been treated as such. Since they didn’t let her go with them on the mission, she asked them to take her to their parents’ graves when they had returned from their trip. A request that both brothers had refused to do. They were too busy at the time to do it, which was aggravating to the older trolling. 

One night, after everyone had gone to bed, she packed up a backpack with snacks, a blanket, water, and an extra set of clothes. She put on a jacket, snuck out of the bunker, and then out of her brother’s apartment door. She headed for the gravesite to visit her parents. She had plans of going to her boyfriend, Celery’s home afterwards, to see him. Branch and Sky had not allowed her to visit him for months. Another reason she was feeling intense frustration towards her older brothers. She felt like they were treating her like a baby.

Before Ivory could make it to the graveyard, she began hearing footsteps behind her. She thought it was one or both of her brothers. “Seriously, I’m fine! What is your problem?!” She turned around and gasped when she realized it wasn’t her brothers. It was two teenagers, close to the same age as she was. She backed away and frowned when she realized she had seen these two trollings before. They were her nephews by marriage, Peace and Justice. Her heart immediately went into her throat. She knew that they were kidnapped, and she knew that they were being trained to kill their own family. She knew her life was in grave danger. She realized at that moment that she had just made a horrible mistake.

“Hey, Justice? I think I remember this trolling. Do you remember her too?” Peace looked at his twin brother. The seventeen year old trolling had a huge smirk on his face. He didn’t think they would find anyone they knew the first night in the city. They had just arrived there that night.

“I do remember her. Can’t remember her name.” Justice smirked at his brother. “What should we do with her, Peace? She’s too pretty to just kill off.”

Ivory began to back away. She was trying to think of where she could run. She was in a neighborhood she was less familiar with. She also thought of screaming as loud as she could. Certainly that could attract attention. She took as deep of a breath as she could and screamed loudly.

“Bitch!” Peace grabbed her and began dragging her towards a bush. “You’re going to regret that!” He shoved her to the ground and began undressing her. A struggle between them followed. He was livid that she screamed. “Anyone who comes to save you will get killed! We’re not the only ones here!”

Justice followed his brother, and then stood outside to watch out for rescuers. He knew what his brother was about to do. He didn’t want to see his naked body.

Ivory whimpered as she was dragged over to a bush. She struggled with Peace as he stripped her of clothing. She sank her teeth into his arm and growled at him. She wasn’t going to let him do what he wanted without a big fight. Along with biting, she began scratching at him, to try to get him to let go.

Peace let out a moan when she bit and scratched at him. He shoved her to the cold ground and pushed his swollen member into her. He began raping the terrified teenager. He was turned on by her aggression and obvious fear.

Ivory looked up at Peace with wide, light blue eyes, as he stole her virginity. She no longer fought back as he had his way with her. She looked away as tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She felt violated and petrified.

Peace listened to his surroundings as he raped her. “Sounds like no one is coming to save you. That’s a shame. I was getting a little hungry.” He looked down at her hands. He grabbed her right hand and bit down on the fleshy part of her palm, below her thumb. He yanked sideways, ripping her flesh from bone. He chewed on her flesh, before swallowing. “Delicious!”

Ivory screamed in pain, before yanking her arm back. She held her injured hand and sobbed as she watched him eat her flesh. She began to panic, fearing he might try to eat her alive. “Please! I’ll do what you want! Don’t kill me!”

“Shut up!” Peace smacked her upside her head, before grabbing her injured hand. He took another bite out of her hand. This time, he ripped off a finger. He knawed on the flesh around the bone, while continuing to rape the poor teenager. He was enjoying himself. “Snack and sex. Best things of my life.” He licked his lips and looked down at the horrified look that was on her face. His sadistic mind was feeling pure bliss by seeing her so scared and in so much pain. His insane father/grandfather had taught him a lot of nasty tricks. He wondered how many he should make her endure, before letting her go. He wanted her to live, so they could follow her home. He could certainly feast more, if he found where her family was.

Ivory quivered under Peace’s weight. She was afraid to even cry from the intense pain she was feeling in her right hand. She could feel her own blood as it dribbled down her arm. She had a bad feeling she might bleed to death.

Peace continued to snack on Ivory’s right hand, as he raped her. Once her entire right hand was gone, he pulled out of her and helped her to her feet. “You better get your ass home, before you bleed to death.”

Ivory didn’t need to get his permission twice to start moving. As soon as she was free, she ran as fast as she could towards the apartments. She didn’t look back as she headed home. She hoped no one else would find her and hurt her. She just wanted to get home. She regretted leaving the safety of the bunker. She wished she had listened to her brothers. As she approached the apartments, she went inside and screamed for help as she went for the bunker door. She went inside and rushed towards the medical room. She let out a blood curdling scream when Branch grabbed her. Peace had her extremely frightened.

Branch had heard her leave, but didn’t see which way she had gone. He was gathering several trolls to help him search for her, when he heard her cry for help. He had grabbed her when she ran towards the medical room. “Where did you go, young lady?! Why are you naked?! Why do you smell like sex?!” He was suspicious that she ran off to have sex with Celery.

Mercy rushed over, when she heard Ivory scream from Branch grabbing her. “Stand down, Branch! She’s hurt!” She led Ivory into the medical room and began checking her over. She immediately saw the injury to her hand. She worked on closing off blood vessels. “What happened?!”

Goldie came in and began helping Mercy with Ivory. She didn’t like what she saw. Ivory was clearly raped and had lost her right hand. “Doesn’t look like a clean cut.” She wondered how the injury happened.

“He ate my hand!” Ivory sobbed as they worked on her amputation site. “He raped me! I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have left!”

“No, you shouldn’t have!” Branch snapped at his baby sister. He was mad at her and even angrier that she was hurt because of it. He clenched his fists. “I’m going to find who did this and I’m killing them.” He stormed towards the door. He was livid and hot.

Mercy frowned when Branch snapped at Ivory. She planned to talk to him about that later. Now was not the time to scold Ivory. She needed care, not punishment. Punishment needed to come later, after Ivory had a chance to process what happened. She sedated Ivory, so she could perform surgery on her. She made sure to give her blood and fluids. She was pale from blood loss.

Goldie followed Branch and grabbed him before he could get out the door. “You’re not going out there alone! You’ll get yourself killed!” She dragged him towards the medical room. “Stay! We’ll gather help after she’s stable!”

Ivory sobbed as she slowly lost consciousness. She whispered sorry, before going under. She didn’t mean to get into trouble. She just wanted to see her parents and boyfriend.

While Ivory’s family worked on saving her life, Peace and Justice gathered Tourmaline’s army and had them move towards the apartments. They had seen where Ivory went. They planned on attacking the entire building. They had high hopes that Sky and Branch were in the building. They didn’t like that Sky had found a cure for the Male Germination Virus. They planned on killing both brothers, for foiling Tourmaline’s plans. They planned on showing them no mercy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! XD


	5. Attacking The Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace and Justice attack their family head on, with no plans of slowing down.

Ivory’s hand injury was so great and the fear of a severe infection made Mercy believe that their best bet for the safety and healing of the teenager was to remove her arm at the elbow. Besides the fact that Peace had eaten her hand, there was quite a bit of damage to her forearm, including the flesh and bone around her wrist. They wanted to make sure her recovery was as smooth as possible for her. She was going to need it after the injuries and rape that she had just endured.

As Mercy and Goldie worked on cleaning and worked on fixing the damage that Peace had inflicted on Ivory, Peace and Justice made their way around the apartments. They had a large group of trolls with them. They decided not to attack the apartment that Ivory went into yet. Justice remembered who she was more than Peace did, and he knew that her family was large and very protective. They needed to figure out where the smaller families were first, and start taking them down, to make killing the larger family easier.

Their appearance didn’t go unnoticed by the guards, who quickly confronted the group with their guns drawn. The leader of the night shift faced them with his gun ready. “Who are you, and why are you here in the middle of the night?”

A young troll, who was a son of Banana’s, that was near the side of the group, quickly pulled out a gun and began firing at them with incredible speed. Several of the others in the group also pulled out their guns and shot at the guards, until every single one of them fell to the ground. The speed of gunfire caused the guards to fall so fast and was so great, that none of them were even shot at. The guards didn’t even stand a chance.

The gunfire got Smidge’s attention right away. She got out of bed and woke her husband and wife. She told them to get the children ready and head to the bunker. She then got ready to help the guards. The amount of gunfire terrified the older mother. She went to the closet and grabbed her gun. She then cautiously walked over to the window and glanced outside to see how many she might be facing. She frowned, seeing that there were at least a hundred trolls just feet from their home.

Hope hurried to get the children. She gathered Jadice, Zen, Love, and Dot. Daisy, Daffodil, and Pearl had long since moved out of their home to be in their own homes. She planned to call and check on them, and warn them, as soon as she was able to do so. Once at the door, she waited for Biggie. Once Smidge took the front, she hurried outside with the children. She rushed towards the bunker with them. She wanted to get them to safety.

Smidge quickly took the back and backed away as she pointed the gun towards the attackers. “Leave us alone!” She warned them. She was more than willing to protect her family.

Biggie didn’t like that Smidge was behind and pointing a gun. He hurried back to her and grabbed her. He ran towards the bunker with her. He didn’t want her to be killed. He recognized Peace and Justice. He knew they were all in grave danger.

The group watched as the family scrambled away from their home. Peace let out a laugh. “Pathetic!” He already had his own gun drawn and began shooting at Biggie. Once he was down, he walked over to Smidge. He could see her struggling under her massive mate’s weight. He pointed his gun at her head and gave her one shot to her head. He smirked, noticing she was no longer moving. He looked up, noticing that Hope was about to go around the corner. He pointed the gun to her and shot her in the back, between the shoulder blades. He watched as she fell to the ground. He saw one of the children, Dot, when she came rushing back to make sure that her mother was alright. He shot the eleven year old in the head and watched as she collapsed to the ground. He then walked over and put another bullet into Hope’s head, to assure that she died. He had seen her hand twitch. He didn’t want them to survive.

Jadice was still with Love and Zen. He kept them moving until they were in Branch’s apartment. He led Love and Zen into the bunker. He frowned when he realized that his parents and little sister, Dot, weren't with them. He was about to turn, to check on them, when Tsunami grabbed him. He looked up at his uncle with tears in his eyes. “My parents are out there! Dot too! I have to go!” He struggled in Tsunami’s grasp.

“You need to get down into the bunker, Jadice. You’re not of age. We can’t risk you.” Tsunami led him into the bunker and nudged him into the living space. “Get all the children, the pregnant, and the medical trolls and have them go into the panic room. I need you to make sure they lock the door, Jadice. We’ll take care of your parents and sister, alright? I need you to take care of your brother, sister, and cousins. Be a big boy and do this for me. Please hurry!” He nudged Jadice again. He had heard the gunshots and knew that something bad was going on above ground. They needed the vulnerable and valuable to go where it was safe.

Jadice resisted at first, until he got reassurance that his parents and sister would be taken care of. The fifteen year old trolling began searching for his family members and told them where to go. He had tears in his eyes. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut that he was not only orphaned, but his sister Dot had died as well. He hoped that wasn’t true. Either way, he was going to do what it took to assure the safety of the rest of his family. It was the least he could do, since he was unable to help with the fight that was going on outside of their home.


	6. A Bold Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch comes up with a plan, in hopes of taking down the group.

Jadice quickly went around the bunker and let other families know that they needed to go to the panic room. Once he was sure he woke everyone up, he led Love and Zen to the panic room. He sat down with them in the corner and then burst into tears. He began to cry. He still hadn’t seen his parents or his little sister. He was so scared that he had lost them forever.

Love and Zen clung to their big brother and began to cry too. They were younger than him, but both of them were larger than him, since Jadice was a dwarf trolling. Neither of them planned on letting go of Jadice any time soon. They were just as worried about their parents and Dot as he was. It was clear that something wasn’t right. The gunfire had also terrified them.

Since there was a need to get into the panic room quickly, Mercy and Goldie wrapped up Ivory’s amputation site and carried her to the panic room together. They were not quite finished stitching her up, but they needed to get her where they would all be safe. Once she was settled into a bed, they began working on her amputation site again. They needed to carefully close it up, so that it would look alright and cause her minimal pain while healing.

Tsunami assured that Branch and Sky also got into the panic room, since they were important trolls for the Male Germination Virus mission. Losing them could be detrimental to the mission. Once they were in there, he began gathering as many trolls as he could to work together on taking down the group that was outside the apartments.

Branch didn’t like that he couldn’t help, even though this had been part of the plan all along. He paced the floor for several minutes, before looking at Sky. “I have a plan. I need you to stay here and stay safe. It’s imperative that you don’t get hurt or killed. We need you for the virus. Lock the door behind me. I’ll hide after I execute my plan. Tell everyone not to eat any of the freshly baked cookies. I’m poisoning them.” He unlocked the door, and then shut it behind him, before Sky could argue.

Sky was about to stop his brother, when he shut the door on his face. He had a look of disbelief on his face. He hesitated, before locking the door. He really hoped that Branch stayed safe. He didn’t want to lose his older brother.

Branch hurried towards the lab and began going through his brother’s things. He came across a vial of cyanide. He hurried to the kitchen, where a few cooling racks of cookies laid out for the night to cool. As quickly as he could, he began putting a few drops of cyanide on each cookie. He put just enough to kill whoever ate the cookies. He wasn’t too worried about the flavor, since cyanide smelled a lot like almonds and the cookies were delicious. Once he was done covering the cookies, he left with the empty vial. He went to the door to the bunker and opened it, so that the group wouldn’t have to search for it. He then left to go to the quiet room. Once in there, he put the vial down on a shelf and went to wash his hand. Once his hand was clean, he closed and locked the door. He went to sit down on the bed. He knew it could be hours or even days before it was safe to come out of there. He hoped by then there would be a bunch of dead trolls scattered around the bunker.

Outside the apartments, the fight continued with several of the smaller families. Some of them hid in their apartments, while others went outside to fight. During the fight, several on both sides were killed. Once Peace decided he had had enough fun, he led his brother and several of the remaining trolls in the group into Branch’s apartment. He noticed the small door to the bunker. He walked over to it and smirked when he smelled a batch of cookies. “Smells like it’s snack time boys.” He went inside and followed his nose towards the cookies. He grabbed one and began to eat the snack. He didn’t realize it was poisonous.

The rest of the group also munched on the cookies, blissfully unaware that the cookies were poisonous.

Among the trolls in the group was Hickory’s daughter, Treasure. The teenager was heavily pregnant and nervous. She had been dragged along, by Peace. She didn’t want to be there, but Peace treated her like a slave, since she didn’t show any violent tendencies. She didn’t touch the cookies. She knew better than to grab anything to eat without permission. She watched as they all had their share of the cookies. Her stomach growled angrily. She was so hungry and wanted a cookie so badly. She hoped that Peace would save her one. She looked disappointed when Justice ate the last one.

It didn’t take long for the poison to take effect. One by one they all started to fall to the ground. Most of them died immediately, while some of them suffered seizures or cardiac arrest.

Peace was one of the last ones to become affected by the poison. He knew something wasn’t right, right away. He screamed profanity, before collapsing to the ground. He had a massive seizure, before going still, not far from Treasure’s feet.

Treasure watched in horror as the teenagers and young adults that she had grown up with quickly succumb to the poison. She backed away, before retreating to hide. She had mixed feelings. She knew she no longer had to deal with Peace and his abuse. She also knew she was now in a home with trolls that she knew was family, but she hadn’t seen them in nearly twelve years. She remembered some of her life before Tourmaline, however a lot of those memories were clouded by abuse and neglect. She was terrified that she would be killed. She didn’t trust anyone.

As the last poison victim fell to the ground, the horror of the night came to the end. All but one of the trolls in Peace’s group were all now dead. It was the first wave of two. Several miles away, Jewel and Petunia waited for Peace and Justice to return with good news. If they didn’t hear or see them soon, they planned to go help them. The war was certainly not over, but the city had a good chance.


	7. Indescribable Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hickory reunites with his daughter, Treasure, for the first time in nearly twelve years.

Shortly after the rest of Peace’s group died, except for Treasure, Tsunami rushed into the bunker. He had seen that the door was open. It horrified him to think that anyone could have gotten to his family. As he entered the kitchen, he came upon a gruesome scene. There, scattered on the floor, was the rest of the group that they had been fighting. He nudged a couple of them, to see if they were actually dead. He was perplexed for a few minutes. He wondered what could have killed them all. It soon dawned on him that the kitchen smelled strong of almonds. There was no way there were almonds in the cookies that Leaf baked that night. Ivory was allergic to almonds. “Cyanide?” He thought for a moment, before rushing towards the panic room. He knocked on the door, in a pattern, to indicate that it was safe to open the door.

Sky opened the door, expecting it to be Branch. He gasped when he saw that it was Tsunami. “Is Branch alright?! He said he would hide after he put poison on the cookies! Don’t eat them!”

“The cookies are gone. The group ate them. They're all dead. I didn’t see Branch. I bet he went into the quiet room. It’s his favorite place to go for a nap. Stay here. I’ll go check on him. Lock the door until I come back.” Tsunami looked around, to make sure everyone was alright, before going to check on Branch. Just like the safe room, he knocked on the quiet room door with a pattern. He sighed in relief when his mate opened the door.

“Are they dead?!” Branch glanced around nervously. He thought that happened incredibly fast. He didn’t think any of them would have made it down into the bunker, yet.

“Yeah, they’re all gone. They ate all of Leaf’s cookies. Were you the one that put Cyanide on them?” Tsunami wanted to be sure it was Branch who poisoned the group.

“Yeah, that was me. A bit of a risky move, but I figured no one would touch them since everyone knows Ivory is allergic to almonds.” Branch checked Tsunami over for injuries. “Did you get hurt?” He could see some blood on his mate. It made him nervous.

“It’s Hope’s blood. She’s gone…” Tsunami looked sad. “We lost Biggie, Smidge, and Dot too. The guards are dead as well. I’m not sure who else got killed. I was trying to stay hidden, until I was sure they were gone. I checked on Hope, Biggie, Smidge, and Dot after that.”

Branch cringed when he found out that his sister in law was dead. That news wasn’t going to settle well for not only his wife. It wasn’t going to go well for Mercy, Faith, and Ginger as well as the rest of their family. “We better start cleaning up and prepare the dead for funerals. There are a lot of bodies to take care of.”

“Yes there is.” Tsunami headed back to the kitchen. He wanted to get started on the bodies there, before they started to rot and smell.

Branch started to follow Tsunami, when he heard a whimper in one of the closets. He pulled out his gun and walked over to the closet with it. He opened the door with his hair with the gun ready. He gasped when he saw Treasure in there, hiding in the corner, under a pile of clothes. He didn’t recognize her at first. He refrained from shooting her, since she was clearly pregnant. He put the gun away, before he walked over to her and grabbed her. “You’re coming with me.” He helped her to her feet and then checked her hair for weapons. He was surprised to find nothing in there. He took her hand and led her towards the safe room. Once there, he knocked on the door in the pattern and then waited for an answer.

Treasure had to go to the bathroom, badly, which was why she had whimpered. She trembled when Branch grabbed her. She was so scared that he would kill her. The gun had really scared her. She let him guide her around. She didn’t say anything, despite the desperate need for a toilet. She had tears in her eyes from the discomfort. She had been beaten for an accident before, so she was going to hold it until she had no choice.

Sky answered the door when he heard his brother knock. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was Branch. “You scared the glitter out of me!” He looked at Treasure and frowned. “Who’s this?” He looked her up and down. She seemed so familiar. He wondered how he may have known her.

“Treasure!” Faith stumbled towards them. She had been down there with Hickory and Bella, since they had gathered to help look for Ivory. She recognized her daughter, and was so glad to see her, even though there was a part of her that knew there was a chance her little girl had grown up wanting to kill them, just like Peace and Justice.

“Treasure?!” Hickory got up and held Faith’s arm as she stumbled towards Treasure. “Is that my little girl?” He was afraid to touch her. He wasn’t sure if it was safe.

“Oh!” Branch smiled and looked at Treasure. “I should have known…” He let Treasure go, but kept his eyes on her. He didn’t think she would do anything foolish. She had no weapons and didn’t seem like she wanted to fight.

As soon as Treasure was free, she bolted for what was clearly a bathroom door. She could see the toilet within it. She removed her worn out shorts and sat down, just in time. A loud sigh of relief escaped the frightened mother. She looked wary when Faith followed her.

“I’m just getting the door.” Faith stepped inside and closed the door. “Do you remember me?”

Treasure nodded slowly. “You’re my mother.” She watched as Faith leaned on the wall. “Tourmaline said you died.” She looked so confused.

“I’m too tough to give up that easily.” Faith smiled softly. “I survived the attack.” She didn’t watch Treasure, so she could have a little bit of privacy. “I’m so sorry…”

Treasure finished on the toilet and pulled up her shorts. She washed her hands, like she always did when she went to the bathroom. She still remembered some of her manners. Once her hands were clean, she walked over to Faith and hugged her. “I’m glad he was wrong.” She teared up as Faith held her. She wasn’t sure what to do or say. She knew that Tourmaline told her a lot of lies. She was glad that he was wrong about her mother. She missed her warm hugs.

Faith held Treasure for several minutes, before leading her out of the bathroom. She pulled Hickory into a group hug. She motioned Bella over and pulled her into a hug too. She stood there as the four of them snuggled. It had been nearly twelve years since Treasure was kidnapped. All three parents were so glad to see her. They hoped that the damage wasn’t so great to Treasure that she couldn’t cope and live a productive life. Only time would tell if they were going to be able to help her enjoy her life, now that they got her back.


	8. A Break Between Battles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Families breathe and mourn while they wait for the second group to emerge.

Shortly after Treasure was reunited with her family, Tsunami came in with Mr. Dinkles. He had found him next to Biggie’s body, unharmed. He had a feeling that the old glitter worm had been placed in Biggie’s hair, right before they tried to retreat to the bunker. As Tsunami entered the safe room, Mr. Dinkles started to perk up. Biggie’s old pet could see that a few of the children were alright. He was so relieved. He nearly threw himself into Jadice’s arms, once he was close enough to do so.

Jadice had just found out his parents and little sister were gone. He stifled a sob when Tsunami came in with Mr. Dinkles. He had been so worried that their family pet was also a victim of the attack. He was glad that he was at least alright.

Tsunami made sure Mr. Dinkles was settled with the children, before walking over to Branch. He looked concerned. As he expected, Mercy, Faith, and Goldie didn’t take Hope’s death well. As he suspected, they were grief stricken. It was made worse by the fact that they all needed to stay in the bunker, for safety. Funerals couldn’t be arranged yet. Treasure had quickly warned them that there was another group waiting for Peace and Justice. She reassured them that Tourmaline was no longer alive. She told them that Peace had killed him about a month earlier. A fact that was a relief to the family, but they needed to be careful, or more lives would be lost.

Branch was sitting by Ivory. She was just starting to regain consciousness. He had a hold of her left hand. He wanted to show that he was there for her. Now that he knew she was attacked, he hoped to be a better support system for her. He knew how hard it was after being attacked and raped. He was so worried about her.

Ivory cracked her eyes open and let out a soft whimper. Her arm stump was painful, even though she was given a heavy dose of pain medication. She glanced over to Branch and teared up when she realized that her older brother was holding her hand. “I messed up…” She whispered, fearing that her big brother would never forgive her for what she had done.

“This isn’t all your fault. That boy should have left you alone.” Branch gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Please don’t run off like that again. There was a reason I didn’t want you to leave the bunker. It’s so dangerous out there right now. I know it’s been hard for you, especially after losing mom and dad, but Sky and I want you to be safe. You’re the last precious gift that was given to our parents. We don’t want to lose you, too.”

“I’ll never leave the bunker again.” Ivory teared up and began to cry. She was traumatized and frightened. She would have never left the bunker if she knew she was going to end up being attacked by Peace.

“You don’t have to be in here forever. I just want you to go out with company. It’s so much safer.” Branch reached to grab a tissue. He took it and began drying Ivory’s tears away. “I’m going to help you get through this, little sister. These feelings you feel right now will get better with time.”

Ivory didn’t look so sure. She avoided eye contact as her brother dried her face. She wasn’t even aware that her attacker was dead. She hoped that she would never have to face Peace again. As she laid there, her eyes wandered to her arm stump. She cringed when she realized that her forearm was now gone too. “My dominant arm…”

“I’ll help you learn how to function without it. My left arm was my dominant arm too. It’s not easy at first, but it will get easier with time.” Branch reassured her. He hated that she lost her arm. He glanced up when Treasure walked over. He knew that Ivory and Treasure were half sisters, through Indigo, but it was knowledge that neither girl had.

Treasure remembered Ivory and had missed her. She crawled into the bed with Ivory and laid on her side, facing Ivory. She was exhausted from a long night, she was in pain due to labor, and all the other beds were preoccupied. Ivory’s bed had some room on it and Treasure felt that she could trust Ivory, since he had never caused her any distress, that she could remember. It was so nice to have a comfy bed to lay down on. This was her fourth pregnancy. She had had a set of twins and two singletons. All of which had been stolen from her and eaten by Peace, Justice, and Tourmaline. She was absolutely terrified that she would lose this baby too.

“Are you tired, Treasure?” Branch watched her cuddle with Ivory. He saw that she had just had a bath and was clean. He was sure that was a relief for the pregnant mother. She probably hadn’t had a hot shower or bath in a long time. 

Ivory looked at Treasure. She looked surprised. She hadn’t seen Treasure since they were five. She thought all this time that she had died. She was so glad that she was alive. She had missed her.

Treasure nodded slowly to Branch’s question. She was definitely exhausted. She knew that she wouldn’t be resting for a little while longer. She had had babies before,so she knew she wasn’t going to be sleeping until she gave birth. She let out a soft whimper during a contraction. She swallowed hard, feeling the urge to push. She watched Branch with wide wary eyes as she bared down. She moved her legs, so that her baby had a path to get out. She had already removed the underwear that Faith had given her. She knew it would be in the way.

Branch wasn’t expecting her to sudden start pushing. He got to his feet and prepared to catch the newborn. “Goldie! I need help! Treasure’s having the baby right now!” He carefully caught the newborn girl and settled her into Treasure’s arms. He rubbed her with the end of Ivory’s blanket. He was surprised that Treasure said nothing to them or made any noises. Labor was extremely painful.

The newborn girl was dark purple, with orange and pink two toned hair. She was glittery as well. She was smaller than her gestational age. She began crying as Branch cleaned her up.

Mercy and Goldie came rushing over. While Mercy helped clean the newborn, Goldie checked the young mother for tears. She didn’t see any, but did notice she had a healed scar at her birthing site. She immediately realized this wasn’t Treasure’s first baby. She planned to ask her where her older baby was, after the newborn was taken care of.

Ivory watched on with a look of shock. She had never seen someone give birth before, let alone have someone have a baby right next to her. “Are you alright, Treasure?”

“I get to hold her?!” Treasure had a look of shock on her face, as she held her wailing newborn daughter. She held her to her chest and sobbed in relief. She had never had a chance to hold any of her newborns. They had always been taken away from her the moment they left her pod. Between sobs, she began to push again. She let out a whimper as the bottom of her second newborn daughter began to emerge.

“Of course you get to hold her.” Branch looked concerned by her question. He wondered who would have told her she wouldn’t be allowed to hold her own child.

Mercy saw that she was pushing. She checked and frowned, seeing that the twin was coming out of her backwards. She waited until Treasure got half of her out. “Treasure, I’m going to help you deliver the second girl. It may hurt a lot. I’m very sorry.” She gently helped ease the arms and then the shoulders out. She cringed, seeing that she tore from the effort. “I want you to take some slow steady breaths and give me small pushes. You’re doing a great job.”

Goldie prepared the sutures. “Faith? Hickory? Bella? You’ve got grandbabies.” She smiled softly when the second baby wriggled, while hanging out of her mama. “She’s feisty…”

Faith had heard the commotion and had already made her way over. She stayed out of the way and watched as her sisters helped Treasure. “Hickory, the second twin is olive like you. She has glitter though.”

Hickory smiled and listened for the second cries. He was a proud grandpa. He snuggled with Bella and sighed softly. He was so glad that Treasure was there and having her babies in a safe place. He silently hoped that the newborns were not from Peace or Justice. They would be incest children if that was the case, since they were cousins. Treasure didn’t tell them who the father was.

Treasure couldn’t help but cry out when she tore. She trembled as she pushed for the head. She looked down when Mercy caught her second daughter. She watched as her little girl was cleaned up. “I’m sorry…” She was worried she would be in trouble for crying out and for making such a big mess. She understood that it wasn’t something she could help, but Peace had been particularly mean to her when she had had her previous babies.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Treasure.” Mercy worked on getting the newborn clean. She smiled when she began crying. She had been a little worried that she might have trouble, due to being breech. “She looks a lot like her grandpa, indeed. Even has his orange hair.” She gently transferred the second born to Hickory. She settled her into his arms. “Hold her for a few minutes, grandpa. She tore having this little bean.” She walked over and took the first born from Treasure. She gave her to Faith, and then helped Treasure onto her back. She gently checked to make sure there wasn’t a third baby. She didn’t feel any more little ones in her pod. “You need stitches, young one.”

Ivory smiled softly. She had watched the whole thing. “Congratulations…”

“They’re so pretty. This is going to hurt while I numb you up, but after that it won’t be so bad.” Goldie smiled at Treasure, before working on cleaning up, numbing, and stitching her up. 

Treasure had tears running down her cheeks when her twins were moved away from her. She put her hands over her eyes and cried hard. She screamed from the shot, even though she was warned about it. She trembled with fear. “I’m so sorry. I’ll be quiet…” She sniffled and faded gray. She was already convinced that she would lose her twins, like she had lost her previous children.

Faith looked alarmed. Treasure not only seemed extra stressed, she also faded gray. “Oh, sweetheart. There is nothing to fear here. We’re right here and won’t let anything bad happen to the twins. Aunt Mercy and aunt Goldie are just trying to save you from bleeding too much and having extra pain while you heal.”

“Faith, this wasn’t her first pregnancy. She had a scar. I don’t think the other baby lived…” Goldie informed her sister. She felt bad for Treasure. It had to be awful to lose a little one. The way she was acting, the experience was extra traumatic. She didn’t want to think of what those monsters may have done to any newborns.

“I’ve had six babies…” Treasure whispered between sobs. She startled when she felt her mother’s hand on her cheek. She looked up at her with wide, worried purple eyes. She loved her parents, but fear had her paranoid. It had been so long since she had experienced love and felt safe.

“Six babies?!” Hickory seethed at the thought. Treasure had just turned seventeen a couple of weeks earlier. Six children was a lot for a child who wasn’t even old enough to marry. “Those monsters…” He knew his daughter had to have dealt with an unthinkable amount of rape. Especially with having babies at such a young age.

“We’re here for you, Treasure. That part of your life is over. You and your living daughters are safe, now. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that you never have to deal with the sort of pain that you dealt with, while living with Tourmaline.” Faith reassured her daughter. She sat down next to her and took Treasure’s hand. She put her hand on her newborn daughter’s chest. “You’re babies are right here sweetheart.”

Goldie finished stitching Treasure up and then helped make the transfer with the twins to their mama’s chest. She helped set them up to nurse and smiled when Treasure restored her colors. “That’s much better.” She began cleaning up the mess. She was glad to see that Treasure got her colors back so quickly.

Mercy was seething as she helped Goldie. She finished helping her family, and then retreated to the bathroom. She needed to have a good cry, but didn’t want to do it in front of anyone. It had been a hard night for her and her family.

Treasure sniffled and watched as her babies nursed off her breasts. For the first time since she was five, she felt a little bit of happiness and hope. She looked up at her mom and sniffled. “Can I name them after aunt Hope? I was thinking of Hope and Desire.” She knew it was her aunts and uncle that the group had shot dead. She was sad that they killed family members.

“I don’t see why not, my sweet girl.” Faith gave her a kiss on the forehead. She knew Treasure had a long way to go before she would trust them. She didn’t blame her for being so scared. She had obviously been through hell and back since she was only five years old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely going to have some delays between chapters for now. Had two deaths in the family last week and I have a minor procedure tomorrow. I'm hoping to get this story done by the end of the month. *Fingers crossed!* T^T


	9. Preparing For Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petunia and Jewel prepare to attack, after not hearing from or seeing Peace and Justice all night.

Back at the group that Petunia and Jewel were with, Jewel was becoming increasingly restless. She thought by now she would have seen her cousins, back from a killing spree. The seventeen year old was also annoyed that her twin sister, Treasure, wasn’t there. Despite the way she was treated, Jewel had a special connection with her tamer and sweeter twin sister. She was one of the biggest reasons that Treasure was still alive. “They’ve killed them. They're going to pay.” Jewel hissed through her teeth, as she prepared to leave. “Get ready everyone! We’re going to avenge their deaths!”

“Are you so sure? Peace and Justice are far too tough and smart to be taken down by some worthless city dwellers.” Petunia got ready to go as well. She had been around Peace and Justice for nearly twelve years. She didn’t think they were dead. She was almost certain that they were goofing off and eating troll flesh. “I honestly don’t feel like going yet, Jewel. I’m going to have my kid at any moment. I’ve been having pains.” She was heavily pregnant, just like Treasure was.

“Oh, shut up! It’s your own fault, for letting Justice fuck you!” Jewel rolled her eyes as she prepared some poison laced arrows. She was angry that her cousins hadn’t returned. She wanted to kill the rest of her family, so that she could be sure that they would stop curing the virus that Tourmaline had inflicted upon the world. She idolized her deceased grandfather, even though she was one of the reasons he had died. She had helped Peace and Justice kill him, after he had told them he was having a heart attack. His last words played over in her brain. He had told them that they had all made him so very proud. As her thoughts came to a conclusion, she shot a glare at Petunia. “Move your ass!” She headed towards the apartments, where Peace had told them he was going.

“God damn you, Jewel! You never listen!” Petunia followed her. She knew if she didn’t follow, Jewel could turn on her and kill her. She had threatened to do so before. She wished she would have at least waited for her to have her baby, so that she could abandon the newborn and help with the battle. She stopped by a tree and leaned into it. She watched as the others in the group passed by her. She glared at them when they told her to hurry it up. “Fuck you! I’m in a lot of fucking pain!” She snapped angrily. She wasn’t amused by their attitudes.

The rest of the group moved on, not bothering to wait for Petunia. As far as they were concerned, Jewel was in charge while Peace was gone. They were not going to wait for her. She was causing them to fall behind. Jewel wasn’t quite as scary as Peace and Justice were, but she had a temper that none of them wanted to face.

Petunia breathed hard and grumbled that she was surrounded by impatient jerks. She took her pants off and squatted by the tree. She reached down to check her vulva. She could feel that it was swollen and firm. She began to push her baby out. She caught her as she emerged. “Little impatient fucker…” She glared at her daughter as she began crying. “You’re timing is impeccable.” She set her down inside a tulip blossom. She noticed they were still attached. She gently pulled her afterbirth out of her pod, before setting it down by her daughter. “I don’t have time to deal with you. Too bad you didn’t wait. You would have made a nice meal for Peace and Justice.” She began to get her pants on. She was sore from the birth and felt a little wobbly on her feet, but that wasn’t going to stop her from helping Jewel. She was used to doing activities under a lot of physical strain and pain. Once she was in her pants, she left her daughter in the cold and wet blossom. She didn’t care if she lived or not. She didn’t want anything to do with her.

The newborn girl was a green glitter trolling, with purple and light pink two toned hair. She cried loudly inside the tulip blossom. She was cold and frightened. She wanted to be warm and be with her mama.

The newborn cries quickly got the attention of Daisy, who was in her home, preparing to go help with the upcoming battle between her family and the group that was being led by Jewel and Petunia. The grieving and gray dwarf, who was a spitting image of her mother, Smidge, left her home and followed the cries of the newborn baby girl. She pulled the tulip’s petal down, and gasped when she saw the newborn girl. She took her into her arms and quickly rushed into her home. She closed the door behind her and went to the bathroom with the baby. She began cleaning her up and drying her off. She hadn’t given birth to a baby yet, but she had siblings and cousins that were much younger than her. She knew how to take care of a baby.

Daisy’s husband, Iron, heard the cries of a newborn. He came into the bathroom and frowned when he saw the newborn baby. “Who’s baby does that belong to, Daisy? Did you steal from Basil again? You know he’ll have your head on a silver platter.”

“I found her in a tulip blossom.” Daisy got her wrapped up in a blanket and held her to her chest to help her warm up. She knew they didn’t have formula, so food for the newborn was her next concern. She looked up at Iron and frowned. “She’s mine now. I want to name her Blossom.” She wasn’t going to let Iron talk her out of it. She had been wanting a baby, but they hadn’t conceived a baby yet, despite being married for four years. “I need to get her to the bunker. She needs food and I’m not producing milk.”

Blossom had calmed down, now that she was dry and warm. She snuggled into Daisy and yawned.

“I can make a quick run to the grocery store for formula, Daisy. I don’t want you getting hurt while trying to get to the bunker.” Iron got ready to go. “Please don’t leave. I don’t want you and the baby getting hurt.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

“I’m going to the bunker. She was abandoned, Iron. She needs to be checked over to make sure nothing is wrong with her. I only trust my aunts Goldie and Mercy with a special check up like that.” Daisy tucked the newborn into her hair. “Help me get to the bunker safely.” She got ready to go. She wasn’t taking no for an answer with this, either.

Iron knew better than to argue with Daisy. He nodded slowly and gave her a hug. “I want you to stay close to me. We’ll get to the bunker through the back way. You heard what Faith said about them knowing where the front entrance is. They could attack at any time. I can’t risk you. Especially with the chance you might be pregnant.”

“I’m not pregnant, Iron.” Daisy argued grumpily. She had managed to talk herself into thinking she was infertile. She didn’t think she was pregnant, despite feeling sick to her stomach. She excused it as stress. She was just finishing college and was a substitute teacher, until she found a full time teaching job. It wasn’t easy going from classroom to classroom, not knowing the kids. It was a learning process. “Let’s get going. She needs to eat.” She headed out the door and hurried towards the back entrance to the bunker.

Iron wasn’t that far behind her. He had his gun ready. He was going to protect her with his life. He was more certain she was pregnant then she was. She had been acting strange lately. He didn’t want to lose her or their baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While grieving the past week, I been reading back a little bit on this series. I realized I got Petunia's name wrong. I've been calling her Jasmine. I tried to fix it but I may have missed some chapters. Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience!


	10. Fighting For Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first wave of the second battle, leaves a couple of trolls fighting for their lives.

Shortly after Iron and Daisy began making their way towards the alternative entrance to the bunker, Iron heard footsteps behind him. Before he could have a chance to check to see who was behind them, the sound of gunfire filled the air. He instantly felt a pain in his left leg and right buttocks. He turned around and pointed his gun towards where he had heard the gunshots. He saw Petunia and immediately began to shoot her, to protect his mate and the newborn baby.

Petunia had seen Daisy when she had taken Blossom out of the tulip blossom, right before she was out of view. She had back tracked to see where they were taking her baby. She had grown impatient and sore, when they had walked several blocks. It wasn’t even in the same direction that Jewel was going. She didn’t want them to waste her time, so she began shooting at them. Not all of the bullets had hit them, but she could see that both of them had at least one gunshot each. She glared at Iron when he turned around and began to shoot at her. She began charging towards him, ready to fight to the death. She didn’t reach him, before a fetal wound to the head put an end to her life.

Daisy had been shot in the back. She had a stunned look on her face as she hid behind her husband. She would normally fight in a situation like this, but she had a hypothermic newborn in her hair. The drive to protect her was stronger than her drive to fight. She watched as Iron whittled Petunia with bullets. She cringed when she saw her fall to the ground. Before Petunia fell to the ground, she had seen that her pants were bloody between the legs. “I think we found the mother.”

Iron limped over to Petunia and checked her pulse. He didn’t find one. He saw the blood and smelled the birth fluids, mixed with the blood. “I had to defend us…” He felt bad for shooting the mother, but he couldn’t let Petunia kill them, and she had abandoned Blossom. He had to do what it took, to protect his wife and their newly adopted daughter. “I’m hurt. Are you alright?” He got up and limped over to her. He checked her over and frowned when he saw blood on the back of her dress.

“She shot me in the back.” Daisy looked up at him and began to weave a bit. She was losing blood internally. She was starting to feel faint.

Iron could see that she was growing increasingly pale. He transferred Blossom to his hair, so she wouldn’t tumble out if Daisy passed out. He picked Daisy up and held her to him as he ran towards the alternative entrance to the bunker. Thankfully, they were very close. He ignored the intense pain in his leg and buttocks. He had to get Daisy into the bunker, so she could be helped. He was so worried that she would die on him. He also worried that if she was pregnant, that the pod could have been hit by the bullet. If that was the case, the baby wouldn’t make it. Tears ran down his cheeks as he approached a waterfall at the outskirts of the city. He went behind the falls and walked over to a rock. He settled Daisy down beside it and began pushing the rock out of the way. “Hold on Daisy, we’re almost there…”

Daisy was weak and barely conscious. She fell back onto the cold, wet rock that she was sitting on. She began to shiver, due to being cold and from shock. She was crashing, fast.

Iron got the rock out of the way. He opened the door to the bunker and then picked Daisy up. He held her to him and hurried towards the medical room. He hollered for help as he came closer to the medical room. A whimper escaped him when he saw that no one appeared to be in the bunker. He was quivering with nerves. He could feel Daisy go limp in his arms. “Oh god, please don’t die on me.” He wasn’t feeling well himself. He was bleeding from his own gunshot wounds.

Branch had heard Iron. He left the safe room and went to get Iron. He led him towards the safe room, when he found him. “She got shot?! Come on, let’s get her to the safe room. We’ll try our best to save her.” He was concerned that Daisy would die. She didn’t look well at all. He was also worried about the blood that was on the back of Iron’s legs. “Is the blood on your legs yours?”

“Yes, we both got shot!” Iron got into the safe room and gently settled Daisy into a bed. He gently took Blossom out of his hair and gave her to Branch. “Daisy found her. She named her Blossom. She said she was abandoned. I think the mother attacked us while we were on our way here. I had to kill her to save our lives…” He had a guilty look on his face. He thought the mother was just defending her baby. He had to protect his wife and his own life. He hadn’t seen that she had recently given birth until it was too late.

“I’m dying…” Daisy whispered as she watched her aunt Mercy and aunt Goldie rush to her side. She began fading into unconsciousness. She was certain that she wasn’t going to survive her injury. Blood filled urine drenched the bed she laid in. She was in a lot of trouble.

“Over my dead body!” Mercy had a panicked look on her face. Her niece looked awful. She saw the bullet wound on her back as she gave Daisy a quick examination. She quickly removed her clothes. “Goldie, emergency surgery, now! I think it’s her right kidney. We’re going to lose her if we don’t get her open immediately!” She left Daisy only for a moment, to clean her hands, before returning and setting the surgical kit beside her. She cleaned her wound and side, before making incisions. She quickly got to Daisy’s right kidney. She could see that it was lacerated, and that her body cavity was full of clotting blood and urine.

Goldie helped Mercy with the surgery. She noticed that Daisy’s baby pod was a little enlarged and had a laceration on it as well. “She’s pregnant, but she might lose the baby.” She warned Iron. She got to work on helping Mercy, by cleaning up the blood clots, blood, and urine.

Branch moved Blossom to the bassinet that Hope and Desire were in. “Emerald! Amber! Help us!” He led Iron over to a bed and laid him down on his belly. “I’m going to sedate you, Iron.” He gave Iron a sedative and got ready to help his son and daughter with Iron’s surgery. He left to get blood for Iron and Daisy, since they both lost a lot of blood. He didn’t want them to die. Their family had already been through enough in less than twenty four hours.

Emerald and Amber quickly put their glasses on and got ready to clean up and stitch Iron’s bullet wounds closed. They both looked very worried for their cousins. Even though Iron never accepted Branch, Tsunami, and Goldie as their parents, he spent his teenage years with them. They treated him like a big brother.

Iron began to fade into a deep slumber. He whispered that he hoped that Daisy and their baby would live. He didn’t want to lose them. They were beyond precious. He knew it would be a miracle if they were to survive. He knew it was horrific. He didn’t want to lose any more family.


	11. An Explosive Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jewel makes everyone’s lives so much harder.

Several trolls worked on making sure Daisy survived her critical injury. Sky suggested she also get a medication to prevent contractions. They all knew it was still likely that she would lose her pregnancy, but with the medication, the chances of that decreased. They were glad that the bullet didn’t go through the baby pod. It had only scraped it, cutting the outer layers. They found the bullet and removed it. They searched for other injuries and fixed her small and large intestines, where the bullet had also wreaked havoc. Mercy and Goldie continued to work on fixing the damages, but as the last blood vessel was closed, her chances of survival grew substantially.

Iron’s surgery was a lot smoother than Daisy’s surgery, however he still had some damage to the muscles and nerves of his leg and buttocks. Emerald and Amber worked on stitching blood vessels closed and stitching muscle and skin closed. He was all done with his surgery not long after arriving with Daisy. He was settled on his side so that he could start recovering from sedation.

Blossom started to cry not long after arriving. She hadn’t been fed yet. She sprawled out when Treasure got up and picked her up. She figured out quickly how to latch on and began feeding off of her aunt’s breast. She was related to Treasure through Indigo.

Treasure woke up right away when Blossom began to cry. Without being prompted to do so, she began to feed the newborn, even though she was not hers. She had no problem feeding another child. She looked around warily. She hoped that she wouldn’t get in trouble for picking up someone else’s baby. She wasn’t aware that the baby was from Petunia, yet.

While the doctors were busy in the bunker, Jewel was busy outside the apartments. She dodged bullets as the outside patrol tried to kill her. Once at the base of the apartments, she pulled a bomb out of her hair. She set it up, and then ran as fast as she could to a local tree, to avoid the explosion. She whistled at her group and told them to move out of the way of the bomb. She then prepared her bow and arrows. She planned to shoot at anyone who tried to escape, if they survived the explosion.

What Jewel didn’t see coming, was the size of the explosion from the bomb she made. When it exploded, it caused a massive wave of destruction. The massive explosion not only injured Jewel, it knocked her out of the tree she was in as well. She fell to the ground and yelped when she landed on her back. She laid there and groaned loudly, before she began fading into unconsciousness. She was bleeding to death from internal injuries, due to the fall. Within just a few minutes, she succumbed to her injuries.

Jewel wasn’t the first to die. Anyone who was within ten feet of the blast were either killed or were fatally injured, including some of the apartment dwellers, the trolls that were outside to fight, and some of the trolls that were in Jewel’s group. Part of the apartment was blasted away as well. The entire building was now in danger of collapsing, due to a massive hole on the side of the building. Those who did survive the blast, began to flee and run for help or cover. A few nearby trolls called for emergency services. Most of them knew about the bunker and were worried about the occupants.

Down in the bunker, the explosion had also caused problems. Parts of the bunker had collapsed, including the entrance to the safe room and other spots inside the safe room. Everyone that had settled down there during the battle were all now trapped within it and absolutely terrified.

Basil happened to be right by the entrance, laying on a cot, when the roof above him collapsed. His right leg was trapped underneath. He was sobbing and trying desperately to remove what was on his right leg. “My leg is broken!” He trembled as he felt along the debris. He couldn’t move it at all. It was too heavy. When he was unable to move it, he put his hands on his swollen belly. He made sure it was uninjured. He was very worried about his daughter. He was in labor, before the bunker even collapsed.

“Easy does it Basil. We’ll get you free as fast as we can.” Sassafras held his head. A chuck of the roof had hit him hard in the head. He had a horrible headache and was bleeding lightly from a wound on his head. He took his hand away and looked at his bloodied hand. He frowned and went to wipe some of it away with a blanket. He then pulled their one month of daughter out of his hair to make sure she was alright.

One month old Jelly, who looked just like her daddy, Basil, was just fine. She started to cry, since her father woke her up. She latched on as soon as he settled her on one of his mammary glands. She was a hungry little one.

Mercy and Goldie had just finished Daisy’s surgery, when the bomb went off. They both shielded the young mother and took some of the debris to their backs when part of the bunker collapsed. They were both injured, but worked together to make sure that Daisy was not injured further. They were not as hurt as she was.

As soon as she was sure that the worst part was over, Goldie moved to check Daisy. She winced from the shooting pain in her back. She pushed through the pain, to make sure her niece was alright. She had fractured a couple of ribs near her spine. She frowned, realizing that their medical equipment was crushed. That wasn’t going to help them now that there were more trolls that were hurt, including herself. She wasn’t aware that Mercy was hurt too.

Mercy had a huge gash on her back. She ignored the pain as she inspected Daisy for injuries too. Once she was sure she was alright, she left her to go to Basil. She could hear his cries of pain and was worried about him.

Emerald and Amber also moved over to help Basil. They both looked worried as they tried to figure out how to move the debris off Basil’s leg. They were certain that the weight of all the debris did more than break his leg. They were almost certain his leg was crushed and would be unsaveable.

“I’m in so much pain!” Basil let out a sob when he felt Emerald touch his leg near where it was crushed. He whimpered when he felt his waters break. He reached down and checked between his legs. “Is it blood, or fluids?!” He was so worried about his daughter.

“It’s fluids, Basil.” Amber reassured her older brother. She recalled him saying he was in labor earlier that night, but there was so much going on, that she hadn’t had a chance to check on him again. She knew he would have called them when he was ready to push, and there were plenty of blankets around to clean up a newborn baby. He was expected to have a smooth delivery. It didn’t look to be the case anymore.

“We’ve gotta get you out of under this debris.” Emerald looked worried as he tried to move the debris from Basil’s leg. It was far heavier than he expected. He cringed when Basil let out a loud, sharp cry of pain. “I’m so sorry, big brother.”

“I’m going to see how far your labor has progressed, Basil.” Mercy checked him gently. She could feel that he was close. “We need to make sure that baby is born safely, before we worry about freeing him. He’s just about ready to push.” She got a couple of blankets ready. She was shaking from nerves and pain. It was very hard to stay calm.

Goldie held her back as she walked over to them. “It’s going to be OK, son.” She sat down and took his hand. She knew she was hurt, but it appeared that Basil was in much worse shape then she was. She didn’t plan to say anything, until Basil was stable.

Branch had made sure everyone was alright, before walking over to his wife and son. “We’re trapped and the bunker is unstable. I don’t know what just happened, but if we stay here, we might be buried alive. We’ve got to start digging our way out.”

“Basil is stuck, Branch. We have to save him, before we try to dig out.” Sassafras looked worried. He hoped they wouldn’t abandon his mate. Basil was very precious to him and their children needed him.

“Save my baby, and get out! I want you all safe!” Basil squirmed in place and faded gray due to the fear he felt. He could hear the dirt and rock shift in the bunker. He knew they were all in grave danger.

“We’ll get you out, Basil. It’s going to be OK.” Amber burst into tears. She didn’t want to even think of leaving her oldest brother behind. He was a special member of the family.

“The fastest way we can save him, is if we amputate the leg.” Emerald suggested with a frown. He knew it was a dramatic way to get Basil out of the rubble, but if they wasted too much time trying to dig him out, they could lose everyone under the weight of the bunker.

“Branch, I want you to have everyone who is able to dig to start doing it. We’ll work on freeing Basil from his entrapment while that’s being done. I think Emerald’s right. His leg has to go.” Mercy walked over to the medical bag and tried to find a clean scalpel and iodine. She found one and walked back over. She cleaned his leg and prepared to cut him. “I’m sorry Basil. This is going to hurt more than any pain you’ve ever felt before. All of the sedatives and pain medicine were crushed.”

“Mom? Why are you bleeding?” Jelly Bean walked over and looked at Mercy’s back. She was very worried about the amount of blood she saw.

“I’ve got it, Jelly Bean.” Amber turned Jelly away from Mercy and nudged her. She cringed when Jelly Bean began to wail. “Go watch your sisters and brothers, please.” Once she was sure that the little ones were not watching, she made sure that Mercy wasn’t going to bleed to death from her back. “This is going to sting aunt Mercy.” She closed off blood vessels in Mercy’s back. “You’re going to need surgery.” She prepared to do it, so that Mercy didn’t have problems, while helping Basil.

Mercy ignored the pain in her back. “I’m fine. Focus on Basil.” She shot a glare at Amber when she felt her working on her back. “I said now!”

Basil breathed hard and whimpered during a contraction. “You all should go! I can hear the roof shifting! Get my baby out and go!”

“We’re going to work on saving you while digging ourselves out, Basil. You’re not being left behind. I want you to bite down on this. You might break your teeth if you clench your teeth too hard.” Goldie put a pencil in his mouth and then rubbed his hand. She sighed heavily when he spit the pencil out. “Breathe and start pushing when it’s time.” She was trembling from pain and concern.

“I’m going to start cutting.” Emerald took a scalpel and began cutting Basil’s leg, near the area that was crushed. He winced when his brother began screaming in pain. “I’m so sorry…”

Sassafras winced and took Basil’s other hand. He held it while he not only endured the pain of labor, but the pain of being awake during an amputation as well. He remembered Branch screaming like that too, when Tourmaline cut his arm off. “I’m so sorry, my love.” Tears ran down his cheek from his only eye. He was so worried about Basil and the baby. This was bringing back horrible memories. He gently settled Jelly into his hair, when she was done feeding.

The pain was almost more than Basil could bear. He sobbed between screams and squeezed his mate and mother’s hand tightly. “Just kill me! Oh my god!” He trembled as he began pushing. “I can’t do this!”

“Well done! You can do this, Basil. You’re a strong father.” Mercy moved his left leg, so that the baby had room to arrive. She caught the baby as she arrived. She settled her down on Basil’s chest and began to clean her. She was worried about Basil’s words, but she understood that he was in a lot of pain. She cringed when she felt Amber stitched her back. “Amber! Leave me alone! Focus on Basil!” She didn’t like anyone touching her back. “You’re not listening!” She was having a hard time staying focused on Basil, who she felt needed more attention then she did at the moment.

The newborn girl began to cry as her great aunt cleaned her. She was turquoise with blue green and light green hair.

“You’re hurt, aunt Mercy.” Amber looked worried. “Let me take over. I’m capable of helping him.” She had tears in her eyes. The evening and early morning had been long and difficult for them all.

“Deep breaths, Basil. You’re stronger than you think.” Emerald reassured his brother, as he continued to make careful cuts along Basil’s leg. It was a tedious surgery. He had to focus as best as possible, to assure that Basil didn’t bleed out. He was losing enough blood from the natural process of birth.

“She’s very pretty!” Sassafras kissed Basil’s hand. He choked out a sob when Basil let out another scream of agony. “I’m so sorry…”

“What’s her name, son?” Goldie ran her hand through his two toned gray hair. She knew he was scared. She was trying to distract him from the unbelievable pain that he had to be feeling.

A little bit of the roof collapsed nearby. The noise startled everyone in the room. The debris landed very close to where Basil was being helped. Thankfully it didn’t land on anyone.

“I want to name her Rainbow.” Basil startled badly when he heard part of the roof collapse. “Take her and get out of here!” He snapped angrily. He was angry that they were still trying to save him. He wanted his family safe. He frowned, feeling the strong urge to push again. He couldn’t help but bare down and push.

“Basil, we have a Rainbow in the family already.” Mercy complained. It was the second time in about a month that they had named their children after Horizon’s daughters. She knew they were close to Jelly Bean and Rainbow, but this was a little excessive. She frowned when she noticed he was pushing again. She found a tiny foot when she moved his left leg to check. “You’re having a surprise twin.” She ignored the fact that he was angry. She knew it was the pain and fear that was talking.

“Whoa, we got another baby?!” Sassafras looked surprised. Basil did seem a little larger than normal. He wasn’t surprised at all. He even questioned if they were sure it was one little girl and not two.

“We’re still trapped Basil. No one is going anywhere.” Goldie wiped Basil’s face of tears and sweat. “Breathe son, and focus on the job on hand. You’ve still got work to do.”

“I love the name Rainbow! Her name is Rainbow, and that’s that! I want her named after my buddy!” Basil snapped, before putting his head back and sobbing during the next contraction. “Would you stop cutting me while I’m giving birth, Emerald?! God damn it!!!” He bared down and pushed hard.

Amber moved to help Emerald, so that he would finish faster. “We’ve got to save you, Basil.” She was so worried about him and the twins.

“You could bleed to death if I stop, Basil. I’m very sorry.” Emerald had a feeling he would pay for this, later. Basil held an impressive grudge.

“Basil, don’t cuss! The children can hear you!” Mercy scolded, before realizing Basil was actually cursing lighter then he normally would while in pain. She sighed and got ready to help the second twin. “Sky! We have a boy! The medicine helped Basil and Sassafras after all…” She helped get the boy’s shoulders out and got ready to deliver the head. “That’s it, good job…” She caught the little boy and moved him, so he was next to baby Rainbow. She cleaned him up and smiled when he began crying. “You two make cute kids.”

The newborn boy was emerald green like Sassafras, with light green hair. He cried loudly and snuggled right into his twin sister.

“I’ll cuss as I see fit! I’m in a lot of fucking pain!” Basil let go of Sassafras and Goldie. He held his twins to his chest and whimpered as he set them up to nurse. “His name is Dill, after Anise…” He shot a glare at Mercy, before sniffling and resting his head back. Tears ran down his cheeks. He was so scared, but wasn’t going to admit how petrified he was. “I want them to have a future. They have to have a future. Please make sure they get out?! I’ll give my life for all of my children. Please…” He began to fade into unconsciousness. His body was no longer able to tolerate the excruciating pain from the amputation.

Emerald made the last incision, and then began sewing Basil’s leg closed. He was very worried about his brother. He had been through a lot that night. “Sassafras, you’re going to have to take the twins when they’re done eating. Basil needs rest.”

“I’ll take care of them.” Sassafras reassured Emerald. “I think I have a concussion.” He wanted to make sure they knew he was hurt too.

“Breathe and rest, Basil. It’s going to be alright. We’ll get you and your family out. You’re all going to be safe.” Goldie reassured her son before he went unconscious. She knew their futures were uncertain, but at that moment, Basil needed the reassurance. She could hear several trolls working on digging their way out, nearby. She began to whisper a prayer. A prayer, begging for their lives to be spared. She didn’t want them to all die down there. It appeared it could be hours before they saw that hope. Until then, she hoped that they would survive the ordeal.


	12. Plans Backfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans of digging out of the bunker, backfires when a couple of trolls are buried alive.

Once Basil’s surgery was done, Amber and Emerald worked on helping everyone else who was injured, including Sassafras, who they were certain had a little more than a concussion. They were pretty sure he had a fractured skull and mild head injury, given his symptoms and huge bump on his head. Goldie and Mercy decided to stay with the critically injured and ill. Neither of them were ready to admit that they were hurt more than what was obvious to the naked eye. They didn’t want anyone to worry about them, while they were trying to get out of the bunker. It was a job that didn’t need any distractions. Especially for Branch and Sky.

Branch had taken the lead, while digging to help get the group out. He had made his way to a hall, and was trying to figure out which direction would be the safest way to get out of the bunker. He had sent Sky to see if it would be safe to go out the back way, where Iron had brought Daisy and Blossom into the bunker. He was checking, to see if it was safe to re-enter the apartment, through his home.

Clampers had come with him, to see if she could find a way as well. She looked around as they approached the hall that went to Branch’s home. It appeared to be collapsed. The young nurse had stayed with Branch, just in case he had a seizure. The stress of the night had her worried that he would have one unexpectedly. “Branch, we should head back. I don’t think this is going to…” She stopped talking, when she heard the earth above them shift. She looked up and frowned, seeing that the roof above was cracking. “We’ve got to go, now!” She grabbed him by the hand and began running back towards the safe room.

Branch was practically dragged by Clampers. He didn’t move as fast as she did, due to his back being painful, from an older injury and from fatigue. He let go of her and slowed his pace. “Keep going! I’ll catch up! Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!” He didn’t want her to be slowed down by him. He knew his family would miss him, but he was older then she was and her daughter, Snow, needed her. Goldie and Tsunami had each other to take care of their kids.

Clampers slowed her pace, but kept moving. She didn’t want to leave Branch. She knew how precious he was for the entire family. Before she could reach the end of the hall, the roof collapsed over her. She was completely buried under the ribble. She was killed instantly.

Branch startled when the roof collapsed in front of him. He backed up and put his hand over his mouth. He had a look of disbelief on his face. Clampers was a single mother. Her daughter was now orphaned. He knew there was no way she would have survived being crushed like that. He frowned, when the lights went out in the hall. The electricity had gone out in the bunker hall. He cursed profusely. He couldn’t see anything and was worried that the electricity may have gone out in the rest of the bunker as well. He hoped not, because now, he couldn’t help. He was trapped. He loathed the fact that he was now blind, due to the lack of light in the hall, however there was nothing he could do about it. “Guess I know how Basil feels, now. Wish I had my shovel. I’ve got to get out of here.” His shovel was near the entrance to his home, and the roof was unstable in that area too. He could risk being buried under dirt, if he walked back. He had a decision to make. He either had to sit and wait it out, or go back and risk his own life.

After standing there for a few minutes, Branch realized he had a huge problem. He didn’t have any medication with him, and he was due to have his morning medication very soon for his epilepsy. If he didn’t start digging, so he could get out, he would go too long without his medication. The last time he did that, he ended up being in the hospital for a few days, due to a severe series of seizures that almost killed him. “I better go get that shovel.” He slowly made his way back, towards where they had seen the roof crack. He felt along the wall of the bunker, like he often saw Basil do, when he didn’t have his white cane with him, and was in an unfamiliar place. He soon made it to the end of the hall. He got on his hand and knees and began feeling around for his shovel. He soon found it and picked it up. He stood up and began making his way back to where he had watched Clampers being buried alive. 

Branch made the decision to dig up, to the first level of his apartment. He was going to have to deal with hardwood, if there was still a stable floor there. His muscles already burned from all the effort he had dealt with in the early morning hours, so a groan escaped him at the thought of dealing with more hard work. The collapse told him that things were probably not right at the apartments at all, which made him feel that his life was only going to be harder for a while, until he got out. He still wondered what could have damaged the building, to the point that the bunker would start collapsing like that. He was hoping he would find out the reason soon, because if he didn’t, all hope of seeing the light of day again would be lost and his family would lose him forever.


	13. Grieving Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky and a few others discover that Clampers and Branch are lost.

Shortly after Branch became trapped in the entrance hall to the bunker, Sky made his way back to the safe room. The electricity was out in the bunker, so he was using a flashlight. He was grateful that they had a closet with about a dozen flashlights, just in case. An idea of Branch’s that he was very grateful for. He had discovered that the back way to the bunker was not damaged or collapsed. They had a way to get out of the bunker safely. He planned to let his family know, and then go find his brother and adoptive daughter, Clampers, so he could let them know that the back way out was safe to leave out of. Once he was back in the safe room, he walked over to Mercy first. He gave her a light kiss. “I found a way out, my love. Let’s get you and everyone else who is hurt, out.” He knew she was injured and needed a radiograph, to ensure that her injury was only a soft tissue injury. The hospital was going to be busy, once everyone was out of the bunker.

“I’m fine, Sky. We’ve got this...” Mercy returned his kiss and got up, ignoring the pain in her back. She was incredibly sore and exhausted, but wanted to push through it, for her family and friends. She began gathering the children. She wanted to make sure everyone got out safely.

“I’m going to go tell Branch and Clampers.” Sky headed towards the entrance to the bunker. He was surprised that they hadn’t returned to the safe room yet. He wondered if they may have stopped to grab supplies. He wouldn’t put it past Branch to collect a few things, while on his way back to the safe room. Nothing could prepare him for what he would see, as he came to the entry hall of the bunker. The bunker was collapsed there, and at the base of the rubble, he saw the tips of Clamper’s right fingers. He rushed over to her and moved the dirt from around her hand. He checked her pulse, in hopes that he could save her. He teared up, when he didn’t feel a heartbeat. “I’m so sorry, Clampers. We’ll take care of Snow for you...” 

After standing there for a couple minutes, to grieve the loss of Clampers, Sky rubbed his face of tears and then began looking around for Branch. “Branch?!” He called his twin. He had a bad feeling his brother was under that rubble, right alongside Clampers, but he didn’t want to believe that it was true. Branch was a very important part of his life. He didn’t want to think about life without him being at his side. He was the older brother, and had always been his support system. He felt that they needed each other.

Sky searched the kitchen, and along the rest of the bunker, that wasn’t collapsed. He gathered a few of his and Mercy’s belongings, along with supplies from his study, before heading back towards the safe room. Tears were free flowing, as he came back into the safe room, to see who else was still in there. Only a few families still remained, and were being persuaded to leave, by Queen Poppy and King Guy Diamond. He walked over to his nephew and took his hand. “Let’s get the rest of our family out of here. We’ve lost a couple more at the entrance to the bunker. It collapsed…”

The color left King Guy Diamond’s face. He looked at his queen, before he looked at his uncle, again. “Did dad go quickly?” He fought back tears. He had already faded gray, due to the losses they had already endured that night. He was trying so hard to stay strong, so that no one would panic. It had been a night of nightmares. The loss of his father, added to the heartache that he already felt deep down in his chest. It wasn’t going to be the same without his father, Branch.

Queen Poppy put her hands over her mouth. She walked over to Sky and took him into her arms. She held him and closed her eyes tightly, when he began to sob. She was also fighting back tears. “I’m so sorry, Sky. He was loved and will be greatly missed.”

“I don’t know if it was fast. He’s buried. I can only hope it was quick…” Sky trembled in Queen Poppy’s arms. He couldn’t believe that his brother was gone. He had no idea that Branch had been lucky, and was still alive. He was certain that he had lost him forever.

“I’m so sorry, uncle Sky. Let’s get to the surface, so we can all be safe. He’s at peace now. He won’t suffer from any more pain or seizures.” King Guy Diamond made sure everyone else got out of the safe room, and followed the group as they made their way out of the bunker’s back entrance. Life wasn’t going to be easy for a while, and they were not even sure if the war was over. For the time being, they needed to get everyone safe, and get the injured to the hospital. He was going to assure that it happened. He wanted to be the best king possible, because at that moment, his people needed him now, more than ever.


	14. Life Is So Fragile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several trolls are taken to the hospital, for some much needed treatment.

Basil and Daisy were immediately taken to the hospital, as soon as they were no longer in the bunker. They were immediately given pain medication and treatment for their critical injuries. Several others were also taken to get checked out due to their injuries. 

Mercy was among them, and was settled in a hospital bed for a day of observation. Thankfully, her injuries were soft tissue injuries. She was curled up, snuggling with her sister, Faith, who had refused to leave her side. She had just found out that her adoptive daughter, Clampers, and brother in law, Branch, had died in the collapse. Mercy quietly grieved, as she held Sky’s hand. She wished there was more she could do. She knew her mate was devastated. He told her he wanted her to rest. She was clearly exhausted and trying desperately to hide the pain she was in.

Goldie was taken to get radiographs done. They found fractures along her ribs, on her back. She was settled on a bed, on her belly, so that there was no strain on her fractured ribs. She was wearing a brace for her back, to support her fractured ribs. She found out not long after settling, that Branch had been killed, along with Clampers. Her children were by her side, grieving right alongside her. Tears quickly made her pillow wet. Branch was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She wished that he would have stayed with her a little bit longer then he had.

Not long after they arrived, they got word that several of the bomb and war victims were starting to flood in. Among them was a critically injured Tsunami. While helping with the battle, he had been shot several times. He had continued to fight, until he was no longer able to stay on his own two feet. He was carried in on a stretcher and put on a bed. They immediately went to work on preparing him for emergency surgery. Before they even sedated him, his heart stopped. Emergency efforts began immediately and all available personnel were called into the emergency room that he was in.

Mercy tried to get up, when she heard that someone had coded. She wanted to go help. It took everything in Faith and Sky to hold her back. The two sisters silently struggled while Sky begged his wife to rest. Mercy quickly won the battle of the wills, since Faith refused to make her sister’s injuries worse. Sky felt powerless to stop her. He knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. Mercy quickly came into the room that Tsunami was in and began barking orders and helped as best as she could, considering her own injuries, in hopes that she could help save his life. She glared at anyone who questioned why she was in a hospital gown. At that moment, she was trying desperately to keep her sister, Goldie, from being widowed twice in one day. She knew how much it hurt to lose a spouse. It would be much harder for Goldie, if it happened twice in less then a few hours.

Faith paced the floor, outside the emergency room. She wasn’t sure who was in there, but she could hear Mercy’s orders. Her sister sounded so desperate. She hoped that whoever had coded, would be saved. They had lost enough family that night.

Sky had also followed Mercy, into the medical room. He suggested medication, to help save Tsunami. He hoped that he would live. Goldie needed him to survive.

Despite their best efforts, the medical team was not able to save Tsunami’s life. As the bedsheet was put over his face, Mercy quietly left the room. She had a look of defeat on her face as she passed Faith. She took her little sister’s hand and walked with her, back to her room. Once in the room, she laid down and pulled her sister into a hug. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She wasn’t ready to tell her sister who it was that died. She wasn’t sure how to tell Goldie either.

Faith cuddled with her sister and let her own tears flow. She wasn’t sure who had died, but it didn’t matter at that moment. They had lost so many friends and family already, during the night and early morning hours. Her heart hurt, watching her older sister grieve their losses.

Sky watched his wife and sister in law, as they grieved. For a few minutes, he didn’t leave their sides. After several minutes, he decided he should go tell Goldie, so she had the option to at least say goodbye to Tsunami, while he was still warm. He knew she wasn’t going to get that chance with Branch. “I’ll be right back.” He gave them each a hug, before leaving to talk to Goldie.

Mercy wanted to follow, to make sure her mate would be alright, but she didn’t want anyone seeing her with tears in her eyes. She also didn’t want to break the embrace she had with her sister. She knew Sky would be watched, heavily, so she decided to let him go. She hoped that he was alright. She didn’t want to lose him too.

Sky went to Goldie’s hospital room. He walked in and stood by Goldie’s bed. “Goldie, I’m afraid I’ve come with more bad news.”

“Can’t be any worse then the news I’ve already received tonight.” Goldie sniffled and shifted so she was facing Sky. Tears immediately filled her eyes. Sky looked like Branch, except he wasn’t missing an arm and shoulder. They even had similar scars on their head, from their head injuries. It was going to be so hard to see her own brother in law for a while.

Sky cringed at Goldie’s words. He really hated to tell her what happened, but he knew if he didn’t tell her, she would be even more upset with him. He took her hand and held it. “Tsunami was the troll that came in and coded. I’m so sorry, Goldie. He didn’t make it…”

“No…” Goldie choked out a sob. “Oh my god, no…” She trembled as she carefully got out of the bed. She didn’t once let go of Sky’s hand. “Where is he? I need to know what room he’s in.” The already gray mother looked devastated. The knowledge that both of her husbands were gone was some of the worst news she had ever received. It was not helped by the fact that she lost a sister, and her inlaws, the night before.

“Come with me…” Sky led her to the room that Tsunami was in. He wanted to be with her, for emotional support. Once in the room, he gently removed the sheet from on top of Tsunami’s head. He hung his head and whispered a prayer. Their family needed all the support they could get during this difficult time.

Goldie didn’t let Sky go, as he led her to the room her husband was in. She let out a sob, followed by a whimper. She was in so much pain. She turned to Sky and buried her face into his shirt. She couldn’t help but cry hard, despite the pain she felt in her back. The pain was so bad that it radiated to her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had no plans of letting Sky go, any time soon. He wasn’t Branch, but he was close enough in her eyes. She needed him, more than she had ever needed him before.

“I’ve got you…” Sky held his sister in law. His heart was shattered for her and their family. It was never easy to lose a family member, let alone so many. He hoped that they didn’t lose anyone else and that the war ended soon. He had no idea that Branch was actually alive. If he knew, he would have looked for him. He whispered that he planned to be a support system for Goldie and her children. It was the least he could do, after she was Branch’s rock for nearly twenty-four years.


	15. A Struggle To Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch tries desperately to free himself from his shallow grave.

Not long after Tsunami died from his injuries, the last of the group that was with Jewel, were either taken into custody or killed. Many more trolls were transported to the hospital, to treat the injuries during the battle, or from the bomb blast. Rescue efforts began for the trolls who were still stuck inside the apartment building. There were some that didn’t survive the blast, inside the building. Several trolls in the community gathered to help rescue those who were still alive, and to recover the ones that didn’t make it. The building was still structurally unsound, so the efforts were painfully slow. No one wanted the building to collapse. If that happened, everyone who was trapped inside and many who were searching for them, would also perish.

Branch was still inside the building, as evening came to the city. He had now gone twenty four hours between doses of his medication. He took his medication three times a day, to counteract the seizures that he endured due to the head injury he had received twelve years earlier no thanks to Tourmaline. He had finally broken through the floor to his apartment and was now on the floor of his daughter, Sherry’s bedroom. He laid on his side and groaned tiredly. He had been awake for nearly forty eight hours. He was exhausted and disappointed. It was clear that most of his apartment had collapsed. There was not a lot of room for him to move around in Sherry’s bedroom. 

Branch cringed, feeling a haze come over him. He knew the seizure was coming, several minutes before it came. It wasn’t the first one he had had the last twenty four hours. His body didn’t like that he wasn’t taking his medicine. He had a few seizures, before his body came to a standstill. He groaned and put his hand on his head. It felt like someone had squeezed it between the walls. His clothing was soiled, due to losing control of his bodily functions. The smell was awful to him, but it wasn’t the worst of the smells he now faced. He could smell death as well. It was clear that he was surrounded by the decaying bodies of trolls that were less fortunate than himself. He began to fade into unconsciousness, as exhaustion finally overwhelmed him.

Several hours later, Branch woke up to the sound of water, dripping nearby. He knew the bathroom was close by. He crawled his way towards the sound of the water. He soon found the source. A broken pipe was slowly spilling fresh water onto the floor. He took his hand and made a scoop with it. He waited until it filled his hand. He took a drink of water. It wasn’t the best tasting water. He preferred the taste of spring water instead. At that moment, though, it didn’t matter. He was dehydrated, and every hour he went without hydration, put him that much closer to more seizures and eventually, death.

After getting a little bit of water, Branch searched for a way out of the apartment. It was almost morning and would be the second day he had been separated from his family. His muscles were stiff, sore, and rigid. He wasn’t sure if he had the strength to keep moving building material, when he was barely able to crawl. He searched well into the morning, for a way out, before settling on his side, in what used to be Bruce’s bedroom. There, he had another violent seizure. He woke up again, several minutes later, with a gash on the back of his head. He had hit it several times on the broken floor. He put his hand on the gash. It bled lightly, which stopped after several minutes. A soft whimper escaped him. He was so worried that this would be it. He would die, right there in his young son’s bedroom, surrounded by decaying corpses and collapsed building parts. He wished he had at least told his mates and children goodbye. He began losing hope, that he would ever see them again. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him again. He wasn’t sure what else to do. He was losing strength.

For half the day, Branch was in and out of consciousness. He had a few more seizures as well. As evening came to the apartments, he woke up again. He had now gone forty eight hours between doses of seizure medication. He wondered if he would suffer to his last breath. He quietly prayed to God, to take him and to spare him the pain of dying a slow and agonizing death.

As Branch’s thoughts faded again, he entered a dream. His mother, Rose, was there. He thought he was dead, as he approached her. He embraced her and hugged her tighter than he had ever hugged anyone before. “I’m so sorry mom, I can’t do this. It’s my time to go to heaven.”

Rose held her son and smiled at him. “No son, it’s not your time to go, yet. I need you to be the brave man that you’ve become the last forty-five years. I need you to fight until your last breath. Do not give up my son. You’re much stronger than you think you are. Your family still needs you.”

Branch didn’t look so sure. “My body is failing me. I can hardly move, mom.”

“Your body may have given up, but your spirit hasn’t. I want you to sing my son. Sing like you did when you were a little boy. Tell the world that you’re still alive, and that you need help. They will hear you and they will come. Go my son, before you’re no longer able to use your voice.” Rose began to fade away.

Branch groaned as he cracked his eyes open. He frowned, knowing full well that that was a dream. He shifted and tried desperately to get a little more comfortable. He wasn’t sure if he was even going to be able to sing, after going so many hours without water. He didn’t think he should crawl back to the bathroom. That room was not safe or stable. He would risk being squished to death if he went back. A soft sigh escaped him as he tried to decide what to sing. He decided to sing to God, saying he was willing to bend to His will. Just moments after he began to sing, he heard a familiar voice. It was his daughter, Luna. He sang louder, hoping that his daughter would find him and save him.

Luna sang bits of the lyrics with him. She thought at first she was hearing a ghost. She had found so many friends and family in the rubble, dead. As her father’s dry, tired voice got louder, her search became frantic. She called other trolls over, begging them to help her dig her dad out.

Moon ran over and helped her twin sister, as she tried desperately to dig Branch out as fast as her hands and hair would allow.

Creek and Stream were also out, helping their wives search for survivors. They hurried over and helped their wives dig their father out. They thought it was a miracle that he had survived the collapse in the bunker hall.

It took about an hour to remove the rubble from around Branch. As soon as they reached him, Moon and Luna helped pull him out of the building. He was weak, dehydrated, and in need of medical treatment. Branch looked up at Creek, as he picked him up. He whispered that God gave him another chance. He frowned and closed his eyes, as Creek rushed him towards the hospital. The last two days had been hard for him. He was very lucky to be alive. He planned to cherish the rest of his life, as if it was a gift like no other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Branch and Luna sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XHXUqXV34w


	16. The Healing Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and his family begin the healing process, after years of fear and pain because of Tourmaline.

Branch was quickly taken to the hospital. The first priority was to get his medicine into his system. He was set up on intravenous fluids and given his medicine through the intravenous line, so it got into his bloodstream as fast as possible. He was also given preventative medication, since he told them that he had had several severe seizures. They didn’t want him to have anymore, if they could help it. He was also given a much needed bath. His skin was irritated and inflamed. They decided to give him antibiotics, to fight any sort of infection he might already be fighting and to prevent future infection.

Branch’s family all wanted desperately to see him, now that they knew he was alive. The doctors and nurses asked for them to wait, while they cleaned him up and took care of his head wound. The family couldn’t believe that he had managed to break through the floor of his apartment and crawl through four rooms, before resting in Bruce’s room. If he hadn’t made the effort, he would have likely died in there, alone and miserable. He rarely sang, but it was his voice that ended up being his saving grace. Luna planned on asking her father to sing more. He had a beautiful voice, and that voice was what saved his life.

Sky waited anxiously for permission to see his twin brother. He wanted to see him so badly. He wasn’t surprised that his brother had fought so hard to live. He was definitely a fighter. This wasn’t the first time he had fought hard to live.

Goldie was anxious to see her husband as well. She actually had a verbal altercation with the medical staff, demanding that she see him immediately. She reminded them that she was a doctor as well and could help. She managed to get in there for a few minutes, before she was asked to leave again, while he had a grand mal seizure. She was in pain from her back, as she paced the hall. She didn’t like that they kicked her out. She was just as capable of helping them out, normally, but because her ribs were broken, they didn’t want her to help. She could be in the way and she could reinjure herself. A liability that they didn’t want to chance.

As soon as Branch was considered stable, he requested his family see him. He knew Goldie and Sky were especially eager to see him. He had heard them more then once, yelling and begging at the medical staff to let them in.

When the door was opened for the family, Sky made a beeline for his twin brother. He crawled into the bed with him and snuggled right up to his side. He whispered that he was so glad that he lived. He told him he wished he would have looked for him. He was so guilt ridden. He thought that Branch had died with Clampers. He apologized profusely, for assuming that Branch had died.

Goldie went over to the other side of Branch and snuggled right into his other side. She kissed him all over and held him to her chest. She was just glad that he got another chance at life. She thought she had lost him forever.

Several more family members came in. His youngest daughter, Becka, fought with her slightly older sister, Brandy, over who would be allowed to sleep on his chest. They hadn’t seen their daddy in two days, which felt like forever to the three year olds. They had missed him very much.

“My favorite trolls are here.” Branch whispered as he snuggled with Goldie, Sky, Becka, and Brandy. He had a feeling they would all be fighting over him, to get a chance to snuggle and show him love. He smiled as he looked at his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, inlaws, and a few of the friends who had come to see that he was alright. “I didn’t think I would ever get to see any of you ever again.”

“Well, here we are. You get to see us more. Branch? We don’t have to hide anymore. Tourmaline’s followers are now all dead. We get to live in peace.” Sky was so glad that they eighteen years of torture and pain due to Tourmaline was now over. No one else was going to face the narcissist doctor’s wrath. They could all now sleep peacefully at night. They could all now live normal lives, without fearing for their children’s lives. The royal family could now live above ground, where they could take care of their kingdom peacefully.

“We lost a lot of family along the way.” Goldie teared up and gently took Branch’s hand. She had already told him about Tsunami. She was grief stricken. It was going to take time for her to cope with their losses. Tsunami was one of Tourmaline’s first victims. She wasn’t surprised that he had fought to the death. She felt that he was a hero and had given them several children as precious gifts during his life with them. She planned to treasure his legacy. He was going to be greatly missed by them all.

“He won’t steal anymore of our family.” Branch held Goldie and sighed in relief. His family was no longer in grave danger. He was incredibly grateful. “I love you all, so much. I’m so glad that our family is safe now.” He closed his eyes and let his exhausted brain rest. He still had some healing to do, due to the gash on his head, but he was very lucky to be alive.

“We’re glad too, dad.” Luna sat by the bed and reached over to run her hand through his dark gray and white hair. She wondered if he would restore his colors, now that peace was with them. She barely remembered a time when it was a brilliant royal blue. Many of his children had only seen pictures of him when he had colors. It was going to be nice, if they could all work together to restore that color. He deserved to get his colors back, after going so long gray and depressed. She hoped his mind would soon be at ease, so he could enjoy the rest of his life. She really hoped he had many years left in him. She wanted him to watch his grandchildren grow.


	17. Some Time Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Goldie have some much needed alone time, after weeks of recovering after the war.

For the next six weeks, all of the families who once lived in the apartments or the bunker, started their transition to their own individual homes. Now that the war was over, it was safe for everyone to settle down in their own homes, if that was what they wanted to do. Goldie and Branch moved their youngest children, into a large home, near the edge of the city, where they would be able to live a life, more similar to what they had before the war. 

They had neighbors nearby. Sky didn’t want to be far from his brother and neither did Mercy, because of Goldie. They were right next door with their own children. Faith, Hickory, and Bella were on the other side, to make sure that Goldie and Branch were never far from family. Their older children were rarely far from them either. Even the ones that didn’t live so close to the outskirts of the city. Iron made regular phone calls to them, to update them on Daisy’s progress. She was still healing and was on bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy. She was very lucky to be alive. Treasure had ended up taking Blossom as her adoptive daughter, after convincing Daisy that it would be best for Blossom to be with her family, and Treasure was her aunt. Treasure was living with Faith, Hickory, and Bella, while she adjusted to a new life. Basil was also slowly recovering. He wasn’t used to having one leg yet, but had started having wheelchair races with Sapphire. He was trying to make light of the frustrating situation he was in.

Ivory was living with Branch, since she was still underage. The seventeen year old teenager was having the hardest time coping with what happened six weeks earlier. She just couldn’t figure out how to cope without her dominant hand. She was learning how to do everything all over again. She didn’t forget about the rape either. It really bothered her that she was attacked by Peace. Branch hadn’t given her much sympathy, because she had snuck out. She wanted her mom and dad so badly. She had also recently broken up with her boyfriend, Celery. He had admitted to her that he had moved on, after months of not seeing her. She was devastated and heartbroken. She had chosen not to tell her brother, Branch, since she feared that he would give her more grief. She just wanted comfort and he wasn’t giving it to her.

Branch had recovered well from his two days, trapped in his own home. He was just finishing up a playhouse in the backyard, for the children. He asked for Sherry and Ivory to watch the children in there for the night, so that he could have some alone time with Goldie. He had been taking care of her, since she was far worse off then he was after the battle. He thought a little spoiling was in order, now that she was feeling better.

Sherry agreed to watch the younger children. The seventeen year old trolling was trying to practice living on her own. She thought this would be good practice. Especially since she wanted to have a family as soon as she was old enough to marry her own boyfriend.

Ivory wasn’t as sure about babysitting. She told Branch that she didn’t want to do it, but he ended up pressuring her into doing it. She packed up some clothes and snacks, before walking with Sherry and the younger children, to the playhouse for the night. She didn’t look happy about this turn of events at all. She felt sick to her stomach and didn’t want to deal with three screaming toddlers.

Branch watched all of the children as they went to the playhouse. He made sure they were inside, before heading to the kitchen. He got busy, making a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. He wanted them nice, warm, and gooey. Goldie loved warm chocolate chip cookies.

Goldie had been taking a nap, while Branch made the arrangements. She woke up to the smell of fresh cookies. She came into the kitchen and smiled at the door frame when she saw him scrapping a batch of cookies onto a cooling rack. She leaned on the door frame and watched him with interest. She loved chocolate chip cookies very much. He would often make them, when he wanted to have sex. She was surprised he was in the mood to do it. They hadn’t been intimate yet, since losing Tsunami. Bedroom activities were definitely not going to be the same without him.

Branch noticed that she was watching him. He got the last cookie taken care of, before carefully taking a warm cookie into his hand. He walked over to his wife and fed it to her. He looked into her golden colored eyes, as he shared a kiss with her. He began dancing with her and sang to her. Life was definitely not the same without Tsunami, but now he could just focus on the love that started it all. He planned on spoiling Goldie for the rest of their lives.

Goldie watched Branch’s light blue eyes, as they danced around the kitchen and sang. She savored the cookie as it practically melted in her mouth. She soon rested her head, so her ear was on his chest. She listened to his heart beat in his chest. She smiled and closed her eyes. Just six weeks earlier, she thought she would never hear that heartbeat again. A few tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t mean to think about it, but the thoughts snuck up on her. “I love you so much, Branch. I don’t want to miss another beat. I don’t want to miss another moment. You’re mine, and always will be. I’m so lucky to have you as my husband.” She looked up at him and began kissing him passionately. She held him closely and whimpered as she felt his hand run down her side and hip. She pressed into him and whispered that she was a very lucky troll.

“I’m the lucky one…” Branch kissed her over and over. He rested his hand over her left butt cheek. He gave it a gentle squeeze, as he exchanged saliva with her.

Goldie released her liplock with Branch, and began to sing. She smiled at him, as he joined her, in a duet. She continued to dance with him, in the kitchen, for several minutes as they sang. She could feel that he was aroused. His swollen cock was pressed up to her skin, through a pair of shorts. She reached into his shorts and began to rub him gently.

Branch let out a moan, as Goldie’s glittery hand ran down his swollen shaft. He murmured that it felt wonderful. He began kissing her along her neck and chest. He stopped at her breast and took it into his mouth. He began suckling on it, while he reached his hand between her legs. He began fingering her gently.

Goldie shivered in delight as he played with her delicate vulva. She spread her legs a little bit, and grunted when he teased her vaginal opening. Fluids began to collect between her legs. She groaned and rubbed his member a little harder. She wanted him so badly. She began removing his shorts. She squeaked when he switched breasts on her. She shivered and moaned. “Branch…”

“You’re mine…” Branch pressed into her and began grinding her, while trapping her between him and the kitchen wall.

“Are we going to claim the kitchen?” Goldie giggled for a few minutes, before moaning, due to his tip pressing along her clitoris. She shivered as she ran her hands along his hips. She didn’t mind if they had sex in there. They hadn’t had a chance to mate for a while. She wanted him so badly.

“We’re claiming this whole house.” Branch growled playfully, before filling her warmth with his swollen length. He began thrusting eagerly. He had craved her for weeks and was so glad that they finally had a chance to embrace each other and give each other pleasure.

Goldie moaned loudly, as Branch began working on filling her core. She grasped onto him and kissed him all over his chest and neck. They had been needing this for a long time. She looked up and began kissing him passionately, as he thrust his hips against hers. She was very pleased.

Branch and Goldie continued well into the night, and into the morning. They mated in several rooms, before settling down on the couch. There, Goldie gave Branch a break, and rode him instead. She looked into his eyes as she straddled him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She was so glad that she got a chance to spend all night with him. It had been something they really needed. She hoped that they could do this again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the songs that Branch and Goldie sang. I do not own the songs. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> Branch’s song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_2hnD8OQKI
> 
> Goldie’s song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d9XF3qhowA


	18. A Need For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivory tries desperately to win some of her brother’s affection.

As morning came to the city, Ivory was up and walking towards the house. She had had a miserable night in the playhouse. She had spent a good portion of the night, hugging the toilet. She was dehydrated, tired, and scared. She had a bad feeling she was pregnant. She didn’t want to have a baby. She wasn’t ready for that commitment. She was also scared that Branch would give her more grief. He didn’t seem to care that she was struggling. She didn’t understand why. He had a great relationship with Sky. A relationship she wanted with him too, but he just wasn’t as cuddly with her. She wanted it so badly. Branch looked just like her father, Cyprus. She wanted her daddy. Once in the house, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. She had puked on herself, earlier that morning. She wanted to properly clean up.

Branch heard Ivory come in. He got up out of bed, where they had recently settled for the morning, and got dressed. He had restored his colors during the night, thanks to Goldie and the feeling of safety he now felt due to the demise of Tourmaline and his minions. He was tired from a long night of spoiling Goldie, so he was a little frustrated that one of the kids had come in. He had asked Sherry and Ivory to keep the kids in the playhouse, until lunch time. He walked over to the door and knocked on it a little louder than he intended. “Which of you kids came in?” He sounded annoyed.

Ivory startled when she heard her brother knock. “I just need to shower. I’ll go back. I’m sorry...” Her voice sounded stressed. She teared up as she got into the shower. She began washing up, so she would feel a little bit better.

Branch wasn’t happy to hear Ivory’s voice, but when he picked up on the pain in her voice, he decided against scolding her. He stood by the door and waited for her to come out. He wanted to see why she had come in, despite him telling her to wait.

Once Ivory was done in the shower, she dried herself off and wrapped herself in a towel. She cracked the door open and gasped when she saw her brother with restored colors. She didn’t remember him before he had lost his colors. She hesitated, before pressing into him. She began to cry hard. She didn’t care if he got mad at her at this point. She wanted a hug so badly and now that his colors were back, he looked just like a younger version of her daddy, Cyprus.

Branch looked surprised when she clung to him. He frowned when she began to cry hard. He held her and rubbed her back soothingly. “What’s the matter? Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah…” Ivory sniffled as she buried her face into his shirt. “I want dad…”

“I’m so sorry, Ivory. I miss him too.” Branch took her hand and led her to her room. “Why don’t you get dressed. We can have a cup of coffee and chat.” He let her go and closed the door, so she could get some clothes on. It was a little awkward that she had hugged him with only a towel around her.

“I don’t want a cup of coffee…” Ivory winced when he nudged her into her bedroom and closed the door on her. She got some clothes on and went to brush her grayed hair. She hadn’t restored her colors yet. She was struggling to feel any sort of happiness. Once she was dressed, she went into the living room and stood by the couch. She avoided eye contact with her brother. She was scared to tell him what was on her mind. She didn’t want to be in trouble.

Branch thought it was odd that Ivory didn’t want coffee. She loved a hot cup of coffee as much as he did. He shrugged it off and went to make a pot of coffee, anyway, since he wanted some for himself. He knew when Goldie got up, she would want some coffee too. He stepped into the living room and smiled softly when Ivory came in around the same time he did. “Come here, I’m not going to bite.” He sat down on the couch and patted on the seat next to him. He knew he had been rough on her lately, but he didn’t mean to be mean or rough. He was just trying to get her to realize that she would be living on her own, soon. He wanted her to adjust to adulthood and was frustrated that she didn’t seem interested in growing up.

“I wonder, sometimes…” Ivory whispered, before she walked over to the seat next to her brother. She cuddled up beside him and closed her eyes. She listened to his heart as it beat in his chest.

“Aww, come now. I’m not that mean, am I?” Branch held his baby sister as she cuddled. His relationship with her had been rocky at best since before she lost half her right arm. He wasn’t sure what was on her mind. He wished she talked to him. She was always so quiet and secretive.

“I don’t know…” Ivory sniffled and teared up. “I just wanted to go with you and Sky when you went on your trip. Then I just wanted to see mom and dad’s grave. I wanted to visit Celery too. I wasn’t trying to be difficult. I’m just sad. I miss mom and dad.” She began to shake. “Then I went to take care of it on my own. I got hurt and got into more trouble. I didn’t want to cause trouble. I just want some normalcy. Everything is different, now that our parents are dead.”

“Life is full of changes, Ivory. You’ve got to learn to adjust, or life will get even harder. I know it’s hard. I’ve been through a lot too. When life gives you lemons, you’ve either got to make a batch of lemonade, or you’re going to have a very sour mouth.” Branch took a tissue and dried his sister’s face of tears. He helped her drink a little bit of water too. “We’ve talked about this before. Is something else bothering you? You seem extra upset the last week or two.”

“It doesn’t matter. Life can’t get any harder then it is now.” Ivory didn’t want to tell Branch what was wrong. She was so scared that he would be mad.

“Ivory, you need to talk to us. I can’t help you, if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Branch had her look up into his eyes. “I’m not dad, but I’m family. Family helps family.”

Ivory startled when he had her look up. She looked into his eyes with deep concern. She whimpered and teared up. “Celery broke up with me. I also think I might be pregnant.”

A frown came over Branch’s face. “I knew Celery wasn’t right for you. That jerk!” He looked at her with concern. “Is it Celery that got you pregnant?!” His voice suddenly turned, so it sounded angry. He had warned her not to fool around with Celery. She wasn’t ready to be a mother. She still had some growing up to do.

Ivory back paddled to the other side of the couch, when Branch raised his voice. She avoided eye contact with him. “No, I didn’t mate with him, ever. I wasn’t ready to mate at all.”

Branch saw the fear on Ivory’s face, when she shrank away from him. His face softened as he moved to her. He did remember that she was raped. He just thought she had been naughty too. She did have a close bond with Celery, before their parents ended up in the bunker, due to being so sick. “Now, now, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m mad at Celery, and frustrated for you. Not at you. You’re a little young to be with pod and you should have a partner to raise a baby with. I’m also very worried about you. You’re gray and depressed.” He gently pulled her into a hug. “I can help you with a pregnancy test, if you are ready to find out if you’re pregnant or not.”

Ivory startled when Branch pulled her into a hug. She began crying hard. “I’m not ready. I will never be ready. I don’t want to be a mama yet…”

“Well, whether you’re ready or not, if you’re pregnant, you won’t have a choice. That baby would come.” Branch pushed gently. “The sooner we know, the better it will be for both you and the baby.”

Ivory put her face into her hand and sobbed. She was very upset. She didn’t want to think about being pregnant and giving birth. She had just recently broken up with her boyfriend.

Goldie came into the living room and frowned as she took Ivory into her arms. “It’s alright. I’ve got you, little sister. What’s the matter?”

“She thinks she might be pregnant and Celery broke up with her recently.” Branch wasn’t sure how to comfort his baby sister. She was clearly very upset and wasn’t taking his comfort well.

“I don’t want to have a baby.” Ivory was trembling as she snuggled into Goldie. She was scared that she would be mad at her too. She didn’t do any of this intentionally.

“From six weeks ago? You poor thing. Come on, let’s go over to Mercy and Sky’s house. She’s got pregnancy tests there. We’ll get this figured out. You’re going to be just fine.” Goldie helped Ivory to her feet and walked with her towards Mercy’s house. She had a bad feeling that Ivory might be pregnant with Peace’s baby. She hoped for the youngster that it wasn’t the case. With a recent break-up, the stress of pregnancy wouldn’t help her depressed state in the least.

“Six weeks ago? Oh god, I hope not.” Branch frowned and followed them out the door. If that was the case, Ivory’s baby would be from Peace. That concerned him a lot.

“Yeah, from six weeks ago. It was the only time I’ve ever mated.” Ivory walked with Goldie. She looked worried as they approached Sky and Mercy’s home. She walked in with Goldie and then suddenly ran for the bathroom. She barely made it, before bringing up some of the water that Branch had given her.

Mercy heard her as she rushed to their bathroom. She followed her in and rubbed her back soothingly. She had a bad feeling she knew why she was sick.

Goldie followed her in and explained to Mercy what she knew.

Sky gave Branch a questioning look. He raised a brow, noticing he had his colors back. A smile spread over his face. He had recently restored his colors too. “Your color is back.”

“Yeah, it is. Our sister doesn’t have her colors back though. She’s going through a rough patch in life.” Branch began explaining to him what happened that morning. He was worried about Ivory. He hoped that they could make her happy again and he hoped that he could restore the obvious break in their relationship. It was as if Ivory didn’t trust him. He wished he understood why.

After a lot of convincing, Mercy and Goldie got Ivory to take the pregnancy test. She was very upset to find out that the test was positive. Her brothers and sister and laws reassured her that they would help her get through this, but she wasn’t so sure. She felt incredibly insecure. It wasn’t helped by the fact that she had recently gone through a lot. After talking it over, Mercy and Sky decided to have her move in with them for a little while, to see if getting away from Branch for a little while might help the frightened young mother and so that she could be put on suicide watch. She had been through so much that they were worried she might end her own life. They didn’t want to lose her too.


	19. Naughty Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch finds out a boy had sneaked into the playhouse during the night.

Shortly after getting Ivory settled for a nap on the couch, in Sky and Mercy’s home, Branch headed home to get some of her things. He wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed, now that she was no longer going to live with him. It hurt his heart to think his sister couldn’t stand him and didn’t want to be around him anymore. He didn’t understand what he was doing wrong. He wanted to make it right, but wasn’t sure how to regain her trust. He certainly didn’t mean to frighten her or make her upset. He was trying to parent her, when at the time she just needed her brother.

As Branch approached the house, he noticed Celery, sneaking out of the playhouse. He headed straight towards him with his fist clenched. “Would you like to explain to me why you’re here?! Haven’t you tortured Ivory enough?!” He grabbed the teenager by the ear. He was not happy with him at all. He flushed with anger when he picked up on the scent of mating, rut, and a female in heat. He hoped he hadn’t raped his sister. It would explain why she was extra jumpy that morning. He would kill Celery personally if that was the case.

“I’m not here because of Ivory!” Celery struggled in Branch’s grasp. The seventeen year old pastel green glitter trolling glared at Branch with angry light green eyes. “I broke up with her! She’s not my problem anymore. She should have called me more often!”

“She’s been through a shit load of crap, you little creep! Did you not notice her arm?! Did you mate with her?!” Branch tightened his grasp. He didn’t look happy at all.

“No! I didn’t mate with her!” Celery snapped angrily. “Why would I mate with someone I’ve broken up with?!”

Sherry came out of the playhouse and closed the door. “Dad?! What are you doing to Celery?!” She squeezed herself between them, freeing Celery’s ear. She smelled strong due to being heat and from mating.

Branch gapped his mouth open when his daughter wriggled her way between them. He looked between them, and then at Sherry. “Did you two mate?!” He grabbed a hold of Sherry’s right ear when she nodded. “Young lady! You’re grounded until you turn eighteen. Let’s go!” He began escorting her towards the house, while still holding her ear. He was livid that his seventeen year old adoptive daughter mated with her aunt’s ex-boyfriend. “You have no idea what you just did young lady! Ivory’s heart is shattered!” He had a bad feeling that they mated within earshot of Ivory. It was no wonder she was acting so strange that morning and didn’t want to go back to his home.

“So?! She’s not my girlfriend anymore!” Celery tried to follow. He growled when Branch slammed the back door in his face and locked the door on him. He clenched his fists and went to the front. He came into the house and stormed towards Branch. “Let her go!” He was ready to defend his new girlfriend. He wasn’t happy that Branch was walking her around by the ear.

“Ow! That hurts!” Sherry walked with her adoptive dad. She knew she was in big trouble if he was escorting her around by the ear. She rubbed his ear as soon as he let go. “I hate you!” She didn’t understand why he was so angry. She thought Celery had been very nice to her so far. She knew about Ivory’s break up, but Celery had made her feel so good. She didn’t think she was being selfish or mean. Hormones were not helping her in the least.

“Get out of my house!” Branch pointed to the front door and glared at Celery. “Now! I’ll call the cops!”

Celery got to Branch and went to punch him, but Branch grabbed his arm, flipped him over, and slammed him to the ground. He groaned and struggled back to his feet. He didn’t think Branch could do something like that. He was covered in scars, only had one arm, and had an impressive scar on his head. He looked like he could be easy to take down. “That hurt!” He held his right arm. It was sore.

Sherry put her hand over her mouth when Branch flipped Celery onto his back. She shot a glare at Branch, before storming to her room. She began packing up a bag. She had already planned to move out when she turned eighteen in less then a year, but she knew because both her biological parents were dead, she could be emancipated and move out. She was going to fight him in court, so that she could live on her own legally.

“I said get out!” Branch walked over to the phone and dialed the police station. He was shaking when he heard the officer on the other line. “Yes, I need help at one hundred and fifty five, Willow road. I’ve got a young light green glitter troll, here. He raped my daughter and just tried to assault me.”

“I didn’t rape her!” Celery charged Branch again and began plowing him with punches. He hollered in anger when Branch suddenly pinned him down. “Let me go!”

Sherry came back in with a backpack on. She tried pulling Branch off of Celery. “Get off him dad! He didn’t rape me!”

“She’s underage! She’s too young to consent!” Branch snapped angrily, as he held the teenager down. He knew all about the laws and rules in the city, thanks to Scarlet. He was struggling with Celery, since he was roughly half his age. He had his age against him. He was strong though, after years of wrestling with his sons and daughters. He wasn’t going to let Celery hurt him or his kids, if he could help it. “You cops better get down here!” He yelled at the phone. “He just attacked me!” He frowned, feeling a seizure come on. He was stressing his brain into a seizure. Fatigue and forgetting his medication that morning didn’t help him. “Damn…” He grunted as the right side of his body started failing him. He collapsed to the ground and whimpered as he seized.

“Motherfucker…” Celery got up and kicked Branch in the balls, while he was down. He grabbed Sherry’s hand and headed for the door. “Let’s get out of here before the cops show up!”

Sherry suddenly looked worried when Branch collapsed. She cringed when Celery kicked him where it counted. She knew he needed his emergency medication to help him come out of the seizure quicker. “Wait, he needs his medicine.” She whimpered as Celery dragged her out of the door. She was mad, but she wasn’t so mad that she wouldn’t help him when he needed it.

Branch slowly calmed down and groaned as he laid there on the floor. He reached down and held his manhood. It was very painful. He noticed right away that Sherry had left. He cursed internally. He hoped that she didn’t make a mistake. He was only trying to protect her, and now he was powerless to do so. He quietly hoped that Celery went home to his parents. He thought perhaps the cops would be able to find Sherry there. She was the only survivor of Tsunami and Merlot’s children. He hoped that nothing would happen to her. She was very precious.


	20. Branch Has Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch’s deals with the injury that Celery inflicted.

It didn’t take long for the cops to arrive at Branch's home. Scarlet was the first to arrive inside the home. She was worried about her uncle Branch. She came around the corner and knelt down to Branch’s level when she saw that he was sitting by the wall. “Are you alright?” She checked him over, but didn’t see anything obviously wrong with him.

“I’ve been better. Can you get my daily and emergency seizure medicine, and an ice pack for me, please?” Branch had his hand between his legs. His manhood was throbbing. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to walk for a little while.

“Did you have a seizure?” Scarlet went to get him his medication, a glass of water, and an ice pack. She could see that he was visibly uncomfortable. She came back and helped him take his medicine.

“Yeah, a minor one. He kicked me in the balls and then ran off while I was seizing.” Branch made sure he got his morning medicine, even though it was a couple hours late, and also took a dose of his emergency medicine. “Can you help me to the toilet? I’m not sure I can walk. Oh god, it hurts so badly.”

Scarlet nodded and helped Branch to his feet. She gave a report and asked for the other officers to start looking for Celery and Sherry, while she tended to him. If he had one seizure, there was a chance he would have another. She didn’t want him alone. “Where is Goldie?” She helped him walk to the bathroom.

“She’s at Mercy’s with Ivory. Our children are in the new playhouse. I’m sure Flourite and Tanzanite are watching them. They better be that is…” Branch winced as he took slow steps towards the bathroom. Once in there, he pulled his shorts down and cried out in pain as he urinated into the toilet. His urine was bright red with blood and it was burning his torn urethra.

Scarlet stood by Branch, for support. She didn’t watch him as he peed at first, however, when he cried out in pain, she had to look. She saw that he was already starting to swell up and was peeing blood. “Oh Branch, I’m so sorry. We’ve got to get you to the hospital.” She helped him clean up, and then helped him get his shorts on. She then picked him up and started carrying him towards the door.

Branch was surprised by how strong Scarlet was. He looked up at her while she carried him. “You shouldn’t be carrying me. You had Buttercup six weeks ago. Didn’t you have surgery?”

“I’m just fine, Branch. It was Yin who had to have the cesarean section to have little Petal, because she was trying to come out sideways.” Scarlet smiled softly. Branch often forgot things, no thanks to his brain injury. She wasn’t surprised that he had mixed up details on the births. Yin and Yang were easy to mix up, even though they were fraternal twins. He had also gone through a lot the last few months. It was a lot for one troll to remember, let alone one who had minor memory problems.

“Oh, that’s right…” Branch groaned and closed his eyes. “I’m feeling nauseous.” He swallowed hard and frowned when he heard Goldie screeching and running towards them.

“What happened?!” Goldie hurried over and checked Branch over. She frowned, seeing blood between his legs.

“He was kicked in the balls. Do you think Mom will watch your kids? I’m taking him to the hospital.” Scarlet kept moving. Branch needed immediate care. She got him on her wingdingle and got ready to fly him there. It was the fastest way to the hospital. She gave Branch a bag to puke into, and then had her wingdingle fly.

“I’ll ask her and then meet you there.” Goldie hurried back to the house to ask Mercy if she could watch the kids.

Branch leaned into Scarlet and kept the barf bag close. He groaned as he felt the air in his royal blue hair. Not long after taking off, he cringed and began to puke. He didn’t feel good at all.

“Hold on Branch, we’re almost there.” Scarlet ignored the sound of him losing his breakfast. She had a bad feeling he just brought up his medicine. He was going to have to be monitored closely for seizures. Once at the hospital, she got him off the wingdingle and carried him inside. She explained to them what happened as she settled him into a bed. She asked for them to collect as much evidence as possible, since Branch was assaulted.

The medical staff got to work right away on checking Branch over. They noticed immediately that the force from the blow had not only tore his urethra, but it also caused a testicular tear. He was immediately prepped for surgery.

River was there, and gave Branch a pregnancy test, as standard procedure pre surgery. She didn’t think he was pregnant, since Tsunami had been gone for a month and a half, but she had to be sure he wasn’t pregnant just in case he had mated with Tsunami before he died. She had her doubts. Branch had been very busy with Sky. She frowned, seeing that the test was positive. “We’re going to have to do a spinal block. He’s pregnant.”

“I’m what?!” Branch looked up at them. “That’s impossible!” He looked between them again and frowned when it dawned on him that he would have had to have been pregnant while trapped in the building six weeks earlier. He hoped his baby was alright. “On second thought, I could be but the baby would have to be around three to four months along. Oh god, I didn’t know…” He teared up and put his head back. He was so worried about his baby. He wondered how he could have missed it. He hadn’t felt any wriggles or kicks. He thought he hadn’t had his rut in a while, due to stress, not pregnancy.

“We’ll check him or her, after your tear is tended to. It’s going to be alright, Branch. The baby is likely just fine. You’ve got fluid around the little one that would protect it from trauma.” River reassured him, before she looked at Scarlet. “Give Goldie an update when she gets here. We need to do it now, or he could lose his testis.” She rushed Branch to the surgical bay, so he could have his surgery.

“Tell Goldie I love her!” Branch waved to Scarlet. “Thank you, for your help...” He closed his eyes as River rushed him to surgery. He hoped that Celery didn’t hurt his unborn pod. He would have done a lot of things differently the last few months, if he was aware that he was pregnant. He really hoped that his little one was alright.


	21. Detained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celery is quickly captured and faces punishment for his crimes.

Shortly after Branch arrived at the hospital, he was given a spinal block, so that he didn’t have to feel what the doctor had to do below his belt. His eyes went wide, when he saw his own son come rushing into the operating bay. “Oh no, no, no...I’ll wait for another surgeon!” He did not want his son seeing him naked, let alone operating on his precious family jewels. It would not only be awkward for him, it would surely be awkward for his son too.

Emerald was already scrubbed up and in the operating wardrobe necessary to perform surgery. He had heard that his father was in there for emergency surgery, and had quickly prepared to help his father. It wasn’t the first time he had taken care of his father, Branch. He had given his father a cesarean section to help Becka arrive when she was born over three years earlier. He had no problem helping his family. He was very protective of them all. “I’m the only available surgeon dad. It’s me, or you could lose your testis and perhaps even your life. You can lose a lot of blood from broken blood vessels. You should know that.” He looked at his dad’s damaged testis. He couldn’t help but cringe. It looked like an extremely painful injury. “Scalpel?” He took one as it was handed to him and made the first incisions. He ignored the intense glare from his father. He had to keep focused on what he was doing.

Branch understood why it had to be Emerald, however, he was annoyed that his son was operating on his testis. He glared down at Emerald as he heard him work on his testis. “You’ve always wanted to cut me up. Second time you’ve managed it! I’m kicking your ass, later!”

“Love you too, dad.” Emerald cracked a smile, although it couldn’t be seen through his mask. He continued to work on his father’s most damaged testical first, to try and save it before it died. He had to try to save both testis or at least one. His father still donated his sperm, to help families who couldn’t have children or wanted sons. His sperm was liquid gold. 

Branch grumbled crankily, but knew Emerald had his best interest in mind. It made him feel better that he was one of his son’s teachers. He just wished that his son didn’t have to see him nude. It was a lot different then Goldie operating on him. At least Goldie saw him naked all the time.

While Emerald worked on saving Branch’s testis, Celery came into the hospital, holding his arm. It had become increasingly sore. He thought Branch may have broken it. He looked around for help. He explained what happened and was helped right away.

Sherry wasn’t far behind him. Instead of following him, she went to search for River. She had a worried look on her face. She had never meant to leave her father while he was having a seizure. Celery had forced her to leave with him. She wanted to make sure Branch got help. She knew he often had more than one seizure when he did have them. Once she found her, she squirmed with worry. “I need a ride home. Papa Branch is in trouble.” She was shaking and upset. Celery had been mean to her, after they had run off. He had beaten her as well. She was bruised, had a black eye, and had a bloody nose.

River gasped when she saw Sherry. She grabbed a gauze and pinched her nose. “Your dad is in surgery. Where is Celery? Did he do this to you?”

“Surgery?!” Sherry burst into tears. “What happened?!” An instant sense of guilt came to her. She had been mad at her adoptive father, and didn’t understand at first. Now she had a feeling he had just been trying to protect her. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him have a sudden outburst of rage while protecting his children. He was a very protective father and she knew that.

“He was kicked so hard in the genitals that it burst at least one of his testis. He should be alright, but it is a very painful injury. Let’s get you checked over while he’s being taken care of.” River escorted her to a room, to make sure she didn’t have a broken nose or fractures to her eye socket.

While Sherry got the care she needed, Celery got his arm checked over, was given a radiograph, and was told that his arm wasn’t fractured. Before he had a chance to leave, Scarlet came to his room and put him in a pair of handcuffs. “Celery, you’re under arrest for raping a minor, intrusion of a home, assualt to a disabled troll who is pregnant, and fleeing the scene of a crime. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” She led him towards the door. “Let’s go young man. At your age, you can be tried as an adult. You’ll be facing a lot of time in jail if you’re proven to be guilty of your crimes.”

“That ugly asshole was pregnant?! Who the hell would have mated with him?!” Celery resisted a little bit as he was led away. “He’s the one who attacked me! I did nothing wrong!” He was angry that he was caught. He saw Sherry as they passed her, when she was on her way to get a radiograph. “Tell them that I did nothing wrong!”

“You beat the shit out of me! I’m not protecting you! You hurt my dad!” Sherry snapped at Celery angrily. “You hurt him badly! He was right to try to protect me! Get out of my face and life!” She looked at River and sneered. “Is there a pill I can take to make sure I don’t have a baby? I don’t want a baby with him!”

“We’ll be adding another charge to your arrest log, Celery. Move your ass!” Scarlet lightly shoved him towards the front door. She wasn’t going to let him cause anymore trouble. She didn’t like how Sherry looked. Once outside, she escorted him towards the jail.

“I can give you a morning after pill, but it’s not one hundred percent effective. I’m sorry Sherry…” River escorted her towards the room where the radiographs were done. She hoped for the teenager that she would be fortunate and get the pill in time and have it work. She was a little young to be a single mother.

Sherry watched as Celery left. She sang to him, loud and angrily, admitting to her own mistake. She was angry with him and at herself. She then turned to River and let out a loud sigh. “I should have trusted my instincts, River. I could see that Ivory was heartbroken but I let my hormones and greed fog my brain. As he stood there smacking me around, it dawned on me what I did. I feel like a horrible troll…”

“You’re not horrible, Sherry. You’re young and learning. It’s going to be alright. It appears you figured out the mistake. You’ll probably pay for it now. I just hope you don’t pay too high of a price. Come, let’s get your nose and eye checked. I hope you don’t need surgery too.” River helped her into the X-Ray room. Once they were done, she helped her to the room and waited for the film to develop. She then checked the radiographs once they were developed and sighed in relief. She came into the room and showed them to Sherry. “Nothing is broken.”

Sherry sighed in relief and rested on her hospital bed. “Just bruises…” She knew the emotional pain was going to take much longer to heal from, but she wasn’t going to let it slow her down. She had her parents and aunt to apologize to too. She hoped that one day they might forgive her for her ignorance and selfishness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Sherry sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the creators!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiadQ9l-OvY


	22. Baby Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch’s baby is checked to see if it’s alright.

Branch’s surgery ended up being semi-successful. Despite Emerald’s best efforts, the most damaged testical was beyond saving. He had removed it and repaired the less damaged testical, and then stitched him closed. He also gently inserted a catheter, to give Branch’s torn urethra a chance to heal from the tear. He was taken to the ultrasound room, so that his unborn pod could be checked. They discovered he was carrying a healthy and feisty three and a half month along baby. The little one was facing Branch’s back, which explained why he hadn’t felt the little one kick. It was a little hard to figure out the sex of the baby at first, but after poking the little one gently a few times, he turned to them and squirmed.

“A little boy…” Branch was glad to see his son moving within him. He had been worried during the surgery. “Now that he turned around, I can feel him move.” He put his hand on his belly and smiled as his son brushed up against his hand. “I wish Tsunami was here. He wanted a son so badly...”

“I’m sure he’s proud, dad.” Emerald had stayed with him, to make sure his baby sibling was alright. He reached over and rubbed Branch’s belly gently. “I’m one of your big brothers. You’re going to be so protected.” He looked up at his dad. “You have a little extra fluid in there, which might block out some of the kicks.”

Goldie was right beside Branch and was the one that gave him the ultrasound. She cleaned up his belly and kissed her husband. “I’m just glad he’s alright. The stress you endured from being kicked could have stressed you into labor. You’re on bedrest, until he arrives.” She looked at her son. “Emerald, do you have time to take a break and help me get Branch home? He’ll recover better at home.”

“I’m surprised you’re not having me stay here.” Branch smiled softly. He knew how protective Goldie was of him.

“I don’t have time to walk home with you two. I’m sorry. You’ll heal better at home, dad. I told mom that she should set up to have someone come in and help around the house, now that it’s just you and mom. Tsunami was a great caregiver for you, but now that he’s gone, you don’t have someone at home to help take care of you on your bad days.” Emerald suddenly looked deeply concerned. The fact that Branch had a seizure and was badly injured this time, worried him a lot.

“I’ll have Yin over when I’m at work, but I refuse to have a stranger in my home.” Goldie gave Emerald a stern look. They had managed Branch’s brain injury for nearly twelve years without having a caregiving agency involved. She didn’t want to get one involved now. “Let’s get Branch home. He does need to recover from the surgery and rest. I don’t want him miscarrying.” She helped Branch into a wheelchair, and began pushing him towards the front door.

“I have my kids, Emerald. I’ll be fine. I agree with Goldie. I don’t want any strangers in our home either.” Branch winced when Goldie transferred him to the wheelchair. He had feeling back in his legs. His manhood was causing him a lot of pain. He was given light painkillers, since he was pregnant. Healing was going to take a long time and was going to be difficult. He didn’t want to risk his son.

Sherry got up and quietly followed her adoptive parents. She had stayed with them, since she was given the all clear. She was afraid to talk to Branch, but it was clear that he wasn’t so angry that he told her to leave. She was scared that he would never forgive her for what she had done.

“I’m protective, dad. I’ll come check on you after my shift is over.” Emerald watched them as they headed home. He knew his father was tough, but this injury had been so hard on him. It should have never happened. He was determined to figure out how to get help for him.

It took about an hour for Goldie to walk home. She had walked him home, in one of Sapphire’s old wheelchairs, so she didn’t have to return it. She got him into the house, and helped him into bed. She emptied his urine bag and went to take care of the urine. It wasn’t the first time she had to take care of her husband. She understood that he was disabled and had times that he was going to need her help. She would rather be there for him then give up on him. She was a believer in being married until death departed them. She was glad that death didn’t come to him yet. It had certainly been very close just six weeks earlier. She was grateful he survived, so that their son had a chance at a full life.

“Can I have a cup of coffee, please? I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Branch looked hopeful. He normally only drank decaf coffee while pregnant, but this kid had already had plenty of coffee. He didn’t think his son would be harmed further by having a few cups of coffee a day.

“I have to run to the store to get some decaf coffee. No more caffeine, until the baby arrives.” Goldie helped Branch get comfortable and gave him some water and a snack. “I’m going to get dinner started.” She left to get started on that. It was already getting late and they hadn’t eaten much all day.

“Dad?” Sherry moved closer to the bed. She looked very guilty.

“Yes, Sherry?” Branch smiled at her. He was glad that she was back to calling him dad.

“I’m very sorry.” Sherry’s eyes filled with tears. “If I had known he was like that, I wouldn’t have been near him.”

Branch grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. He hugged her and held her. “Apology accepted, young lady. We’ll get through this, just like everything else we’ve been through. I need your help, now, more than ever. I’m taking him to court. He will be punished for his crimes. I need you to be my primary witness.”

“I will, dad.” Sherry snuggled into him and sighed in relief. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you too, my sweet girl. I always have and I always will. I’m so glad you’re home and safe. I was so worried about you.” Branch held her and closed his eyes. He had thought of punishing her, for what she did, but seeing her bruised up, told him that she had gone through enough already. He hoped that she would be a valuable witness in his case, because he had a feeling Celery was going to fight hard.


	23. A Voice Of Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has a talk with Sherry and Ivory, in hopes that they understand why he was protecting them from Celery.

The following morning, after some much needed rest, Branch woke to the smell of freshly made pancakes, coffee, and blackberry topping. He cracked his eyes open and smiled softly when he saw Ivory and Sherry, standing next to him with the food. He sat up and shuddered from the pain he was in. “Where is Mama Goldie?” He glanced around, thinking it was unusual for Goldie to be out of bed, without waking him up by giving him a kiss. He gave Ivory a surprised look. He wasn’t expecting to see her at his home any time soon. She had acted like she never wanted to see him again, just the day before.

“Mom went to work a short shift at the office. She didn’t wake you up, because you need your rest. It’s time to take your medicine and have breakfast.” Sherry settled the tray in front of him. She had made sure his pain and seizure medicine was on the tray too. She didn’t want to wake him up, but she knew if she waited much longer, he was going to be in danger of having seizures. He certainly didn’t need another day like the day before. Especially now that they knew he was carrying a tiny baby.

Ivory crawled into the bed and snuggled up right beside her oldest brother. She wanted to talk to him about the day before, but she wanted him to eat first. She felt guilty, for not telling him about Celery. She knew he had been over there all night in the playhouse. She was blaming herself for what happened to him.

Branch raised a brow, before checking the time. It was much later than he thought. He quickly took his medicine and washed it down with some coffee. He glanced at Sherry and frowned. “This is way too weak and tastes awful. Is this decaf coffee?”

Sherry nodded and frowned. “Mom doesn’t want you drinking anymore regular coffee. She says it’ll be bad for the baby.”

“I don’t like how it tastes either.” Ivory whispered softly. She had tried to drink a cup, while helping with breakfast. She wasn’t able to finish it. She thought it was the worst cup of coffee that she had ever tasted.

“Please go make me a proper cup of regular coffee with about three times the amount of grounds as you used in this batch. It won’t hurt the baby if I have a cup of coffee at least once a day. I don’t want to deal with a caffeine headache.” Branch had a feeling Goldie had picked up the brand of decaf coffee that he didn’t like, while in a hurry, or she borrowed some coffee from former Queen Lily, who chose to no longer drink regular coffee anymore.

“You’re going to get me in trouble with mom.” Sherry protested at first. When Branch gave her a stern look, she grumbled about coffee tasting gross anyway, while she headed for the kitchen. She hoped that Goldie didn’t catch her. She was almost as scary as her adoptive father.

“I want a cup too…” Ivory watched her niece as she left and then turned to Branch and began trying to feed him. She had a worried look on her face as she struggled to put a piece of pancake on the fork. The struggle to use her left arm was so hard it had her in tears.

“I’ve got it, Ivory.” Branch took the fork from her, and began devouring his breakfast. He was very hungry. “So, you're not mad at me after all?”

“I wasn’t mad at you.” Ivory whispered, as she snuck a bite of his blackberry drenched pancakes. She had already eaten some, but she wanted more. She was feeling much better than the day before.

“You acted scared of me yesterday.” Branch fed her a few more bites. Her appetite seemed a lot better then it was the day before. He was glad for his baby niece or nephew that she was eating and seemed more eager to fill her stomach.

“I was scared. I should have told you about Celery.” Ivory burst into tears and began to cry into her hand. “I knew he was in the playhouse. I didn’t want to get in trouble, and now you’re hurt!”

“Hey, easy, this wasn’t your fault. Your heart was broken and you had a good reason to be scared. I was being too hard on you. I didn’t mean to be so rough. I was trying to help you and went a little too far.” Branch rubbed her back soothingly. He hated seeing her cry.

Sherry came back in with a couple of cups of coffee. She set them down and looked between them. She had already apologized to Ivory, but it hurt to see her so upset. She wished she had thought with her brain, instead of her hormones. “If anyone is at fault, it’s me. I shouldn’t have let him fool me like that.”

“I’m the fool. I thought he loved me. The moment he realized I was damaged, he no longer had any interest in me.” Ivory sniffled and rubbed her face of tears.

“He acted like he loved you, because you’re a very pretty trolling.” Branch frowned and went to dry Ivory’s tears away with a tissue. “When I was around your age, I had a boyfriend. We never mated, but we did do a lot of things together. As we got a little older, I became more interested in becoming a doctor, when all he wanted to do was spend every waking moment with me. He started pressuring me to abandon my dream of becoming a doctor. I didn’t do well with the control, so I ended up breaking up with him. I was seeing a lot of control from Celery, whenever I overheard you talking on the phone with him. I was worried that he would make you do things that you didn’t want to do. I’m honestly glad that Celery broke ties with you, Ivory. I’m just sorry that Sherry lost her virginity to him. I sure hope a child doesn’t result. A custody battle could become a problem, later in life, if he chooses to try and take the little tot.”

Sherry nodded and frowned. She had admitted to mating with Celery more than once, so she had been unable to take the day after pill that River had recommended. There was a high chance she could conceive, since she was in heat, and he had been in rut. The success rate during that sort of intimacy was nearly one hundred percent.

“Wow, you had a boyfriend before Mama Goldie? Is he still alive?” Ivory looked curious. Branch never talked about his life before Goldie. He was always so quiet about it.

“Yeah, he’s still alive. A matter of fact, he is the grandfather of a few of my grandchildren. Lotus did a lot of growing up, after our break up. I think he realized his mistake, after I told him to bugger off.” Branch smiled at the girls. “There is a chance Celery will grow up, when he realizes what he did was wrong. I think he was trying to protect you, Sherry, and took his protectiveness too far. He’ll pay a high price for what he did, but perhaps after some jail time, he’ll come out of jail a new man. If not, life will be a lot harder for him. I guess we won’t find out how long his sentence will be, until after my son is at a viable age. I can’t go to court until then.”

“You were dating Lotus?! Stream and Creek’s dad?! Does River know about it? Has he been mean to River? I’ll kick his ass!” Sherry suddenly looked concerned. River was one of the sweetest trolls around. She didn’t deserve to have a controlling mate.

“I don’t think Celery will change.” Ivory whispered. She didn’t have high hopes and had no desire of even see him again. He had really hurt her heart.

Branch chuckled when Sherry claimed that she would kick Lotus in the tail. He didn’t blame her for being protective. “River reassured me that Lotus had settled down and stopped being controlling. He didn’t want to lose another partner. He’s been a good father, and raised his boys right. I’m glad for Moon and Luna’s sakes.”

Sherry and Ivory both let out a huge sigh of relief. They didn’t want anything bad to happen to Moon or Luna either.

“I hope you girls now know why I was being so protective of you both. I don’t want anything to ever happen to you.” Branch pulled them both in for a hug and held them. “You’re both very precious.”

“I understand dad.” Sherry snuggled into his chest and smiled. She was glad he was protecting them.

“I understand too.” Ivory sighed in relief as she cuddled with her brother. It made sense now, why he didn’t like Celery. She wished she had seen it sooner. She was only trying to be happy.


	24. First Hearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch takes Celery to court, for what he had done.

It took two months, before Branch was considered stable enough to go to court. In that time frame, Celery was put on house arrest, and was not allowed to leave his home during any circumstances. Branch was only two weeks away from his due date and was clearly pregnant, now that his son had had a chance to grow. The only permanent damage that he suffered from, because of Celery, was the loss of one of his testicals.

Branch wasn’t the only one that was pregnant. Goldie found out she was carrying twins, from the night before the attack. Sherry was also expecting and had considered an abortion. Branch had talked to her about adopting the baby out instead, so that the little one had a chance at life. She told him she would consider it, but wasn’t sure about going through a full term pregnancy, since she wasn’t going to have someone there to help her. She also didn’t want to deal with Celery anymore. Especially if they lost the case. She had a lot to think about.

As the day came to go to court, Branch prepared for the hearing. He dressed nicely, in a tuxedo, and struggled to get his pants up because of his belly. He was a little worried that his son might decide to arrive, during the court hearings. He hoped that that wouldn’t be the case. Judges didn’t like interruptions during court hearings, since they often had full schedules. He decided that if his son did decide to arrive, he would wait it out. Labor always took hours, while court hearings typically lasted half an hour, to an hour each session. They suspected that this particular case would have three hearings. The last one would exceed his due date, but that was alright with him. He wasn’t going to nurse his son, due to his seizure medication. He could easily find a babysitter to watch his newborn son, while he went to court.

Once Branch was ready to go, He walked towards the courthouse. He had his hand on his swollen belly as he approached the large building. It was the first time he had needed to go in there. Usually if anything needed to happen there, Tsunami or Goldie took care of it. He looked at his wife, before walking inside. He held still as the guard on duty checked him for weapons.

Goldie was next to Branch. She had gone into the courthouse a few times. Usually to help with adoptions or medical related cases. She was a lot more relaxed then Branch was.

Sherry and Ivory were also with them. They were valuable witnesses to the case. They were both dressed up nicely, just like Branch.

Once everyone was checked over, the group went into the courtroom that Celery was assigned to. They took their seats and waited for the judge to arrive. Branch looked nervous. He was in a seat, next to his wife and lawyer, near the front. He glanced over at Celery, who was glaring at him.

One of the guards was standing by the Judge’s seat. When he heard the door open, he cleared his throat. “Please rise, Judge Jasper is preceding.”

Everyone stood as the judge came in and took a seat.

“Thank you, everyone. You may all take a seat.” Judge Jasper looked over at Doctor Branch. He recalled seeing him before. He was talked about often on the radio as well. The middle aged judge looked serious as his eyes shifted to Celery. “I understand that this young man has some charges against him. I also see that most of those charges have been dropped, except for the two assault charges and fleeing the scene of the crime. Is this correct, Doctor Branch?”

“Yes, your honor. I didn’t think all the charges were necessary. I think this young man needs to learn a lesson. I don’t want him spending too much of his life in prison.” Branch reached over and took a drink of water. He was suddenly feeling sweaty and hot. He hoped that he wasn’t about to have a seizure. The timing was awful, and he had remembered his medications. He wondered if his blood sugars may have been a little low. He hadn’t eaten anything that morning due to being nauseous and nervous.

“Very well…” Judge Jasper looked at Celery. “Young man, if found guilty, you could face up to four years jail time for your crimes. During this time, you will have to go through anger management classes, counseling, and parenting courses, since the young lady you had relations with became pregnant. Do you understand?”

“Do I have a choice?” Celery grumbled crankily. He didn’t understand why he was in so much trouble. He still had a lot to learn and was arrogant.

“Your honor?” Branch put his hand on his head. “I need my medicine…” He didn’t feel well. He was pretty sure he was about to have a seizure.

Goldie looked at Branch with wide eyes. She had medicine with her, but she knew it was best not to reach into her hair while in court. She hoped that the judge would allow her to help him.

“Doctor Branch, I can’t allow you to take anything by mouth, during the court session. You’re going to have to wait, until the session is over in roughly half an hour.” Judge Jasper was trying to avoid interruptions. He had a full day ahead of him.

“See, your honor?! He’s a drug addict! I did nothing wrong!” Celery suddenly snapped. He thought Branch was causing problems on purpose.

“I’m about to have…” Branch stopped mid-sentence, and began to convulse. He fell out of his chair and grunted as his body jerked around. The grand mal seizure caused him to soil himself as well.

Goldie got out of her seat and held her husband’s head, so it didn’t hit anything. She wondered what could have caused this seizure. She had seen him take his medication that morning. She hoped he hadn’t stressed himself out. There was nothing to fear. Especially since he was the Plaintiff.

“Another outburst like that, Celery, and I will hold you to contempt of court!” Judge Jasper said sharply to the teenager. He looked over when Branch began to speak. He got up, when Branch began to have a seizure. “Is the medication he has, medication to help him during a seizure? If that is the case, give it to him. If I had known, I wouldn’t have had him wait.”

Celery glared at Branch and sighed. He was not amused. He thought Branch was faking it for attention.

Branch settled down and groaned as he tried to regain consciousness. His head was on fire and his thoughts were clouded. He whimpered when he felt Goldie open his mouth. He tried shoving her hand away. He was confused and disoriented.

“I’m giving you your medicine, sweetheart. It’s alright…” Goldie got the medicine under his tongue. She also gave him a sugar tablet, which she placed on the inside of his cheek. She knew he was having small bouts of hypoglycemia during this pregnancy. She was glad this would be the last time he was pregnant. The health problems he faced could be dangerous for his son.

“Due to Doctor Branch’s current condition, I’m going to delay this court hearing for a week from today. This will put this trial a week behind, however, I want Doctor Branch to get some rest. Court is adjourned.” Judge Jasper left, to prepare for his next court session. It wasn’t the first time he had to put court on recess due to medical conditions.

Celery had a look of annoyance on his face, as he watched Branch. He didn’t like that everything was delayed further. He wanted this to be done and over with, so he could get back to his life.

“Let’s get you home, daddy.” Goldie helped Branch onto his feet. “Better luck next time.” She led him towards the door. He was in desperate need for a bath.

Branch held his head and groaned as he was led away. He didn’t remember much of the court session, because of the seizure. “I’m sorry…” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew that the court session was over, for now.


	25. Baby Not Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch attempts another court hearing.

A week later, Branch, Goldie, Ivory, and Sherry headed for the courthouse, to once again try a court hearing for Celery’s crimes. Goldie had talked to Branch and made sure he had a good breakfast, had his medication, his emergency medication, and a calming cup of tea, before this hearing, so that the chances of him having another seizure was greatly reduced. She had Branch’s hand this time, as they settled into the courtroom. She hoped that he would be calmer this time, now that she had talked to him.

Branch did feel calmer this time. That was, until they settled down to wait for Judge Jasper. He frowned, feeling a tight squeeze from his contracting baby pod. He could feel the pain, radiate to his back. He was almost certain that was a labor contraction. It was far stronger than any false labor contractions he had felt in the past.

“Are you alright?” Goldie could see that he was tense. She hoped that he wasn’t about to have another seizure.

“I’m fine…” Branch whispered to Goldie. Labor or not, he was going to get through this hearing. He didn’t want this to be delayed any further.

Judge Jasper came in and quickly took his seat. He eyed Branch and cleared his throat. “You may all take a seat.” He kept an eye on Branch. “Are we going to have any interruptions this time, Doctor Branch?”

“I can’t make any promises, your honor. I can’t control when I have seizures and I can’t control when my child arrives either...” Branch hoped for everyone’s sake that his son would not come quickly, but he knew that babies came on their terms, and no one else’s.

“I read about epilepsy, and will be a lot more understanding this session. If you need a break to take a pill, just let me know.” Judge Jasper straightened out his paperwork and looked at Celery. “As discussed last week, your punishments will be given to you, if you’re found guilty of your crimes. Do you plead guilty or not guilty?”

“Not guilty, your honor.” Celery kept his eyes on Branch. He had been given a plea agreement, but he had declined the offer. He didn’t think he should be punished at all. He wasn’t willing to go on six months of probation, and a year of anger management. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

Branch grimaced during another contraction. He still had a hold of Goldie’s hand. He gave it a squeeze. He didn’t want them to stop, but the contractions were incredibly painful.

Goldie glanced at Branch and frowned when he squeezed her hand. She was almost certain she knew what was wrong now. She hoped that their son would wait, until the court hearing was over.

“Very well, then we shall proceed with the hearing.” Judge Jasper went over the evidence and talked to Branch, Sherry, and Ivory over what they saw and heard over the course of that fateful morning.

The hearing was almost over, when fluids suddenly pooled under Branch. He looked down at the mess, and then back up at Judge Jasper. “Deepest apologizes, your honor.” He grimaced and breathed through a contraction.

Judge Jasper raised a brow and motioned for the guard to inspect what was going on. He had a wife, and children. He had a feeling Branch was in labor. He had seen that face before, when his wife had their children. “Court is adjourned. You may head for the hospital Doctor Branch. I wish you luck.”

Celery wrinkled his nose, when he saw the fluids drip off Branch’s chair. “That’s nasty…”

Goldie helped Branch stand up and frowned when her husband whimpered. “Let’s get you to the hospital for your cesarean section, sweetheart.”

“Junior isn’t going to wait…” Branch leaned on the desk he was next to and breathed hard. He began to push and yelped as his son’s head emerged. He put his hand in his pants and supported his son’s head. “Oh my god!” He had tears in his eyes. He had only pushed out his twins, and it was twenty-three and a half years ago. He forgot how much it hurt.

A scramble ensued as Goldie removed Branch’s pants and caught their son as he was born. She gave him to her husband and began wiping the baby’s face with a handkerchief. She smiled when the newborn began crying loudly. “Hello, Tsunami Junior…”

The newborn was a dark purple trolling, with a patch of dark teal around his right eye. He had royal blue hair. He was healthy, despite the scares during his father’s pregnancy. He cried loudly as his father held him close to his chest.

Branch sat down in the chair, since his legs felt wobbly. He cradled his son, with his arm, and supported him a little bit with his hair. “I thought I had time. I’m very sorry for the mess I’ve made.”

Celery had watched the entire thing with a look of disgust. As cries from the newborn filled the room, he noticed that the guard in the room wasn’t watching him. He grabbed the gun from the guard’s holster, and quickly and pointed it towards Branch. He pulled the trigger and growled when he was suddenly grabbed by his lawyer. He turned and shot him too. He then turned towards Judge Jasper and shot him. He moved as fast as he could. He wanted to kill these trolls, for ruining his life.

The guard on duty turned and quickly grabbed Celery. A struggle between the two, quickly followed. Once the guard got a hold of the gun again, he shot Celery in the head, ending the seventeen year old’s life.

Goldie had seen Celery grab the gun. She quickly moved in front of Branch, the moment that Celery shot the gun. She was shot in the arm. She held her arm and let out sobs of pain, as she hovered over her husband and newborn son, to protect them. She helped get them below the table, so that they would be out of shooting range.

Celery’s lawyer was the only other troll that had died. Judge Jasper was shot in the right ear. He held his torn up ear, as he ordered for everyone to quickly evacuate the building.

Emergency services were called to the scene, and everyone who was shot was taken to the hospital for treatment or to be prepared for burial.

Branch was also taken to the hospital, so that he could have a check up, and so that his son could have a wellness check, now that he was born. He held his son close to his chest, as he was carried away. His heart was pounding hard in his chest. Celery had almost killed him and had shot his wife. He was given another chance at life. He had mixed feelings about this. He wished that Celery hadn’t made that foolish decision, but at least now, his sister and daughter could have a better chance at a peaceful life, without Celery causing them any more problems.


	26. Mama In Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Goldie gets an ear full, for endangering her twins.

Later that night, after getting a clean bill of health, Branch and his newborn son were moved in a wheelchair, to Goldie’s assigned room. He insisted he see her, as soon as she was out of surgery. He was incredibly worried about her. She had been shot in the arm, and they had told him that she would need surgery to save her arm. He hoped that she didn’t lose it. She needed it for her job. Once in the room, he settled into a chair by her bed, and began setting his son up to nurse out of a fresh bottle of colostrum from the milk bank. He was very grateful that another troll had donated their milk, so that his son had the necessary nutrients that he would need to fight infections and illnesses, while growing. He wanted the best for all of his children. “Are you awake, Goldie?”

Goldie cracked her eyes open and looked over at Branch. She winced and shifted so that she could look at him. “Yeah, I’m awake.” She looked over at her arm. It had hardware sticking out of it. It was causing her a lot of pain. When the bullet entered her arm, it went into her humerus bone, shattering it into several pieces. Her daughter, Amber, was the one that was on duty that afternoon, and had tried her best to save her mother’s arm, knowing that she needed her arms to do her job.

“You saved my life. For that, I’m extremely grateful.” Branch watched her with tears in his eyes. “However, you risked your life and the life of our twins.” A few tears ran down his cheeks. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, if I lost you. Our children need you, more than they need me.”

“Our children need you too, Branch.” Goldie cracked a smile. “I moved in a way, so that it would hit my arm. I might have to retire young, but to have more time with you, it made the sacrifice worth it to me.” She offered her hand from her uninjured arm. “You’ve been through enough. I couldn’t bear to watch you suffer again or see you die.”

Branch leaned into her hand and let her caress his cheek. He sniffled and looked into her golden colored eyes. “I can’t lose you either. That bullet could have gone through your arm, and into your chest. A shot like that could have killed you.”

Tsunami Junior cracked his eyes open and looked up at his father. He began fussing, when he was done with the bottle.

“I’m so sorry Branch.” Goldie burst into tears and began to cry. Seeing him cry was making her upset. “It was a last second response to seeing a gun pointing towards you. I didn’t want to lose you. I thought I lost you a few months ago. I don’t want to go through that agony again.” She rubbed his cheek soothingly and looked down when Tsunami Junior began to fuss. “I think he’s ready to be burped.”

Branch carefully shifted his son, so that he was over his shoulder. He used his hair to support his son, and then gently patted his back. An occasional sniffle escaped him as he watched Goldie. When Tsunami Junior burped, he gently moved him into Goldie’s uninjured arm, so that she could hold him and bond with him. “You’re going to be in more trouble with your mom and sisters, then you are with me.”

“I know…” Goldie looked down at their son and smiled when he cuddled right into her. She was glad that they both survived, so that they could raise him and his siblings. It could have ended way differently. They were both incredibly lucky.

Shortly after Branch settled down to talk with Goldie, Mercy rushed into the room and hurried over to them. She checked Goldie over first, and then checked the newborn baby and Branch over. She looked worried, not only for Goldie, but the rest of her family. “What exactly happened?! I want every detail! You both scared me! I heard that there was a killing in the courthouse over the radio! I thought one or both of you died when I heard you were in the hospital!”

Ginger and Faith were not far behind Mercy, but were moving at a slower pace. They both took turns checking the couple over, and then fussed over the baby. Ginger gently took Tsunami Junior from Goldie and cradled him. She was so glad that all five of them had survived the ordeal.

Branch watched Ginger as she cradled his newborn son. He began to explain to his in-laws what had happened at the courthouse. As soon as he was done, he began to cry into his hand. The whole ordeal had not only scared him, but it had given him a horrible flashback, of when Silver had attacked him and Goldie.

“I had to do what I could to save Branch from dying, or dealing with more pain and anguish. I tried to position myself so I wouldn’t get killed or endanger my babies.” Goldie sniffled and watched as her family fussed over them. She didn’t blame them for being worried and upset.

“I don’t approve! I can’t lose another sister!” Mercy gave Goldie a gentle hug and held her. Losing Hope was so hard on the entire family. The thought of losing Goldie too, broke her heart. She didn’t think her younger siblings should die before her. She was the one raising Jadice, Zen, and Love. It was so hard to see her sister’s youngest children struggle without all three of their parents. No child deserved to live their childhood as an orphan. They had already lost Tsunami. They didn’t need to lose Branch and Goldie, and leave their children without parents too.

“I’m so glad you’re both alive. Next time, don’t go and get shot.” Faith crossed her arms and glared at her sister and brother in-law. “I’m beating you both up, later.” She wanted to smack them around right then and there, but Branch had just given birth, and Goldie was severely injured.

“Settle down, girls. They’re both alive, and that’s what matters.” Ginger gently gave Tsunami Junior to his papa, and then sat down beside Goldie. She ran her hand through her daughter’s golden, and white streaked hair. “No more excitement for you. I want you on bedrest, until the twins are born. I’ll come and help you.” She glared at her daughter when she shook her head. “I’m more than capable of taking care of you and the children. That wasn’t a question, it was a statement.” She rested her hand on Goldie’s belly. “I’m protective of my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

“Alright mom, I just worry about you.” Goldie understood why Ginger was so protective. She had been through enough. They all had. She hoped that things would start to look up soon. They didn’t need to go through anymore trouble.


	27. Helping A Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Sky try their hardest to boost Ivory’s mood.

For the next couple of months, Branch helped Goldie as much as he could with her injury, while helping Ginger with their children. She helped him remember his medications, so he was spending weeks at a time between seizures, which was a major stress relief for everyone. Since Goldie worked during the day, that was he was the most likely time for him to forget his medicine.

Ginger insisted that Ivory spend some time over at their house, so she could help with Tsunami Junior, and get practice for when her own baby arrived. She also helped the teenager with adjusting to life without an arm. 

During that time, Sky needed to make a few trips to distribute more of his life changing medication. He made sure that Ivory went with him during those trips, since he felt that she could use the fresh air and a chance to get away from the stress of being around Branch for a little while. He understood more than she did that their brother was sometimes an impatient and difficult troll to get along with. Especially with his traumatic brain injury.

Sherry had also decided to keep her baby, now that the fear of having Celery take it away had gone away with his death. She had found out recently that she was carrying a baby boy, which was an even bigger reason for her to avoid an abortion. Every baby boy was going to be precious, until their species had a chance to recover from the Male Germination Virus.

Unlike Sherry, Ivory decided to wait to see if she was having a boy or a girl. She had asked her family not to reveal what the sex of the baby was, until the little one arrived. She knew they knew what she was having, and she was alright with that. She wanted to be surprised when her baby arrived. She had warmed up to the idea of raising this baby. She felt that if her brother Branch could take care of a newborn with one arm and seizures, she could handle this too.

One late summer day, near Ivory’s due date, Iron and Daisy came over to visit. Both parents had made a full recovery from being shot by Petunia. They visited regularly, now that Daisy had had a chance to recover not only from the gunshot wound, losing her kidney, nearly losing her baby, but also from the birth of their newborn son. Once Daisy had a chance to settle on the couch, she pulled her two month old son out of her hair and set him up to nurse. She smiled up at Ivory, when she came over to see him. “Sit with me Ivory. Our little Dash won’t bite. At least now yet.” She had decided to name her son after her mother, Smidge. She missed her so much.

Dash was a dwarf sized yellow glitter trolling, with blue green colored hair. He looked a lot like Smidge, but with glittery skin. He was healthy and nursed vigorously. He was completely unaffected by his mother’s near death experience.

Ivory sat down beside Daisy and reached over to rub Dash’s cheek. “He’s so cute. I can’t believe how big he’s getting.” She put her hand on her belly. She was having contractions and was assured that they were Braxton Hicks contractions.

“He’s my chunky little man.” Iron watched his wife and son. He was a proud father and was grateful that his wife and child had survived the horrifying experience, not only in the shooting, but in the explosion as well.

“Are you feeling alright, Ivory?” Daisy could see that she was uncomfortable. She recalled two months earlier, when she had gone into labor. She had to be rushed to the hospital to have Dash by cesarean section, since there was concern that advanced labor could cause complications, due to the scarring on her baby pod. The pain was excruciating.

“I’m not sure. My belly is feeling stiff and painful. I asked Goldie about it earlier, but she said it was normal to have contractions this soon to my due date.” Ivory frowned when the cushion under her began to become wet. She stood up and looked at the fluids. “Oh my god, Branch is going to kill me! I didn’t mean to pee on the couch...” She teared up and hurried to the closet to grab cleaning supplies and a few wash clothes.

Iron took a look at the soiled spot on the couch, and then followed Ivory to the closet. “I can handle the clean up. Your water just broke. You should go prepare for the arrival of your baby.”

Daisy burped Dash, and then went to go get Branch and Ginger. She had a feeling they were helping Goldie, since they hadn’t come into the living room yet to greet them.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I had another accident.” The fact it was Ivory’s waters breaking this time was a relief for her. She usually got at least a little bit of warning before she had lost control of her bladder lately. Her baby had recently dropped and it was so hard to make it to the toilet in time. She headed for the bathroom and began making a bath. She wanted to get cleaned up, since she felt wet around her bottom and between her legs. She got undressed and winced as she got into the tub. She let out a whimper as she eased into the water. She was so uncomfortable.

Branch had heard that Ivory’s water broke. He rushed to the bathroom to make sure she was alright. He came into the bathroom with a worried expression on his face. “What can I do to help?!”

Ivory screeched in horror when her brother came in. She covered herself with a cloth and began throwing toys, shampoo, conditioner, a bar of soap, and anything else she could find near the tub. “Get out! I didn’t give you permission to come in here! I’m naked!” She was flushed in anger and embarrassment. She was also in a lot of pain.

“Get out Branch!” Ginger started shoving her protective son in law out of the bathroom. She closed the door and walked over to her. “Easy sweetheart. I’m only here to help. How far apart are your contractions?”

Ivory remained tense, while Ginger escorted Branch out of the bathroom. She frowned and looked at the time. “I haven’t kept track. Goldie told me they were false labor contractions.”

“Sometimes labor starts out irregular. Your water broke, so I’m almost certain you’re in labor. Let me know the next time you have a contraction. I’ll time it.” Ginger sat on the toilet and looked at the door. She was trying to give Ivory some privacy, since she was obviously embarrassed and tense.

Ivory closed her eyes, as one began to start. She whimpered and braced herself on the edge of the tub. “I’m having one now.” She let out a cry of pain. “Oh god, this one hurts so badly.” She breathed hard and began pushing when her body urged her to do so.

Ginger immediately got up, when she heard Ivory grunt from the effort. She checked between Ivory’s legs and saw that she was pushing her baby out. The little one’s hair quickly became visible. She grabbed a towel, threw it over her shoulder, and got ready to catch Ivory’s baby. “That was a good push. Don’t forget to breathe, sweetheart. You're having your baby fast, but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Is she alright?!” Branch could hear Ivory’s heavy breathing and was worried when he heard Ginger say she was pushing good and that the baby was coming fast. He wished he hadn’t been kicked out. He wanted to help.

“I’m being torn in half!” Ivory let out a sob between contractions. She looked up at Ginger with wide, worried light blue eyes. “Is it normal to feel like down there is on fire?!” She let out a cry as another contraction came. She bared down and pushed.

“It’s very normal to feel a burning sensation. So far you’re not tearing.” Ginger reached down when the baby’s head came out. “Almost there…” She caught the baby as she came out of her mama. She put her on Ivory’s chest and began cleaning her up. “Well done! Look what you did!”

The newborn looked just like her mama. She began crying loudly as Ginger cleaned her up.

Branch cheered on the other side of the door. He was glad Ginger was there to help. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to help. Ivory was not interested in getting help from him, not that he blamed her. It would have been awkward.

Ivory was shaking as she supported her daughter with her left arm. She slowly relaxed and breathed. “I had a baby in the bathtub.” She was shocked that everything happened so quickly. She looked at her tiny baby and smiled. “She’s so pretty. I want to name her after mom…”

“Rose is a pretty name.” Ginger wrapped the newborn up in a dry towel and helped the new mama set her newborn up to nurse. “She would be so proud of you. You were very brave and did a great job.”

“Thank you for helping me, Ginger.” Ivory watched her daughter as she nursed off her breast. She had come a long way the last six months, and was adjusting to life without her parents. She had a baby to take care of now, and wanted to try hard to do her parents proud. She hoped that she would be a good mom. She wanted the best for her newborn daughter.


	28. A Family Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year after Luna had her twin boys, her family gathers to celebrate a year full of celebration, sorrow, and growth.

About four months after Ivory had baby Rose, her family began to gather, to celebrate the birthday of her brothers, nieces, and great nephews and the fact that it was Midwinter’s day. Everyone in the family gathered at Sky and Mercy’s home, since it was the largest home and could accommodate everybody.

Goldie was there, with her twin boys, who she named Ocean and Maelstrom, in honor of Tsunami, even though they were obviously Branch’s children. Her arm was only functioning at fifty percent, so she was forced to retire from being a doctor, leaving Mercy as the only one of the original doctors who was still working. Goldie had promised to go to school and become a professor for the college, since she was still in her forties and perfectly capable of teaching students how to take care of patients in surgery and more. She had no plans of slowing down, even though her arm no longer functioned as well as she wanted it to.

Sherry was there with her own son, who she ended up naming Merlot, after the biological father that she never got to meet. She was determined to be a good single teenage mom, just like Ivory and Treasure were. The girls had talked it over and had decided to move in together, to help each other raise their son and daughters. They had recently found out that Ivory and Treasure were half sisters, so it felt right to have them help each other raise the babies. Sherry was also willing to help, and had formed a great friendship with Ivory, despite the heartache they had caused each other when Celery had mated with Sherry.

Basil was at the party as well, and had his children in tow. He had an artificial leg that he used to walk around with. He was a little more reliant on his white cane, since he couldn’t feel around with his feet as well as he used to. As he came into the living room, he tapped onto what was obviously another troll. He smirked and gave whoever it was a good smack in the butt with the white cane. “Get out of the way, before I whap you around.” He warned.

Queen Poppy happened to be his victim. She squealed from the sudden whack on her buttocks. She turned around and grabbed Basil by the ear. “Basil Anthony Thorn, I have it in me to smack you around a few dozen times for hitting my butt! You know better!” She squealed when Basil picked her up and carried her over to the couch. “Set me down! You’re going to fall!” She giggled when Sassafras rescued her. “Tame your beast, Sassy!”

“Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen!” Sassafras laughed as he got between his adoptive sister and mate. He poked Basil in the nose. “You’re going to get in a lot of trouble, goof!”

“I will not be tamed!” Basil grinned and tried to get a hold of his sister in law again. He growled when King Guy Diamond got a hold of him and flipped him onto his back. “Hey! Let me go! Help! The birthday boy attacked me!”

King Guy Diamond sat on his adoptive brother, Basil and looked down at him. “I found myself a comfy chair! It’s a little lumpy.” He laughed when little Misty came over and began to hit him furiously. He grabbed her and began tickling her. “I caught a little Basil mini me!”

“Pummel, I’m going to pummel! Quick before aunt Mercy comes!” Misty giggled and wriggled as she tried to hit her uncle a few more times. She was having fun.

“Hey! Not in our living room! Haven’t I told you to use your words!” Mercy began breaking them up and grabbed Basil by the ear. “You need to apologize and teach your daughter to use her words, instead of hitting.”

Sky chuckled and put his hand over his mouth. It never got old, watching his wife attempt to put order to the chaos that her nieces and nephews often brought with them to the parties. Basil had taught them all to be feisty, and it was always entertaining to watch.

Branch watched them from the couch. He was snuggled into Goldie. He was used to this. His family was full of lively children, that never gave up, no matter how hard life was. He was so glad that he got to live to see them for several more years.

Goldie smiled when Mercy glared at her. “What can I say? They were raised by us and influenced by Faith. They got their tenaciousness naturally.” The retired doctor wasn’t going to split up the kids. They were playing and weren’t hurting each other. It was so nice to watch them all play and carry on. Something that could have easily been stolen from her when Celery tried to shoot Branch, and shot her instead. They could have all lost their lives in the bunker as well. She was so glad that they got another chance. A chance that she hoped would be full of peace, love, and happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is the end of part 5 and the series! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
